Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
A few weeks after the Paris massacre of Friday, November the 13, 2015, I got my first tattoo. It’s the Eiffel tower centered inside the peace sign and wrapped at the top are the words, Joie de vivre ! (joy of life!), a French phrase that speaks of our healthy Read more
As a teen, and young man, I suffered from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). I hated my physical appearance and always thought myself fat, ugly, awkward, undesirable, and Spanx-worthy. In fact, had Spanx® existed back then, I would have covered myself from head to toe like a French saucisse, so I’d Read more
It was the middle of the afternoon. My mother’s voice was smoky and quiet, calming. I was five and a half years old.
“Billy, you and I are going to take a bath together, and I’m going to show you my breast. You know I had a mastectomy, and they removed my breast, but I’m better now, and I don’t want you to be afraid.”
What does a man look for in a woman? This is not a question answered simply. I’m sure the answer is different for any man asked. As a relatively recently divorced guy, I’m going to have a few opinions that would vary from those of a young guy just dipping Read more
“I can’t get in,” the student came back to me and said. The convention center in Los Angeles refused to let him into an invite only event. The other students joined him in their plea to me. They wanted to skip this task, as it was “impossible to gain entry Read more
Perla Batalla, a backup singer for Leonard Cohen for many years, was in concert in Los Angeles recently. In her second act she shared the story of the time Mr. Cohen asked her to sing one of his biggest hits, Bird On A Wire at a party. She demurred—panicked, actually—and Read more
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” The quote is attributed to Socrates. For a highly learned man not known for frivolity, these are very strong words. He is essentially telling us that unless we bother to ‘examine’ our lives, our way of being, our very existence and its purpose Read more
If you were to make a list of what drives you crazy, would it beg the flourished unfolding of a regal scroll with a clearing of your throat (Ah-hem!) and the recitation of the innumerable people, behaviors and situations that drive you absolutely, utterly, stark raving mad? Whatever drives you Read more