My Favorite Day of the Week

It's Friday! YAY! Friday has always been my favorite day of the week. When I wake up on a Friday, I realize, wow, I made it through the week. I have accomplished a lot and now I am about to be rewarded with 48 hours of time for my family and myself.

As the day progresses, I secretly think about what I will be doing on the weekend. I am sure that I am not alone, but who cares. These are my thoughts and my words for now!!

I remember as a kid when the last bell of the school day on Friday rang, it was a total and complete relief. Whew! We are done. Hopefully there wasn't a mound of homework. I would be able to get out of my uniform (yeah, I was in a private school for a few years and we had to wear crisp white shirts and navy blue skirts that weren't too short-- fingertips had to touch the bottom of the skirt -- white knee socks and really ugly shoes that made my feet feel like elephant feet!). So the second I got to my bedroom, the uniform hit the carpet and on came the bell bottom jeans, ribbed knit shirt, earth shoes and thick, cushy socks. It meant the beginning of the weekend.

Of course, there were some Friday nights that my parents insisted that we attend West End Temple in Belle Harbor. Then I had to switch from the jeans to something a little dressier. At least until after temple. Then of course we had to mill around and I always ended up in the corner chatting with my cousin Roger. Back then it felt like he was such a little kid. Now, I feel younger than him! Sorry Rog!

But Friday always marked the beginning of something. I always spent Saturdays and Sundays at the Hartman Y with my friends, Susan and Laura and Lauren and Cindy. We were all members of the Hartman Y Players a local theater group. We learned about the creation of art, theatrical art. We learned how to sing, dance and act. We learned how to apply theatrical make up and wigs. We learned about stage lighting and creating costumes. My friend, Laura, was our pianist and she was GREAT at it.

We performed in "Fiddler on the Roof," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Little Mary Sunshine," "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown," "Guys and Dolls."

Our director, Jeffrey James, dedicated his life to the kids and this theater group. To this day, I really don't know how he did it. He gave us a huge love and respect for the Great White Way. And, he looked EXACTLY like Fred Astaire and he knew it and he danced like him too! He actually was an extra in one of Woody Allen's movies that was filmed in Far Rockaway.

So Friday back then meant that I had an entire weekend to spend with my friends, rehearsing and then performing our roles. Then we would end up at each other's houses for cast parties. Those were wild and fun. Never any drugs or alcohol, just pure fun. And that is how I met and got to know Joel. At these events. In fact, Joel was Tevya and I was Chava in Fiddler! So technically, he was my father?? Now how weird is that?

Anyway, way, way off the subject.

Today, Friday means that I can put on my black tank top and my flannel, plaid pants that tie at the waist with my sweat socks. Out come the contacts, off comes the make up, on go the glasses. I get to flop down on any available comfortable couch or bed and watch a movie or type away on this computer. It is my pleasure to unwind this way.

Of course, I am not a total shut in. I do get out with the kids and Joel. We go to the movies or shopping or sometimes I take the girls to the beach or pool. But mostly it is about have the choice to do nothing if I want.

So that is why Friday is my favorite day. It gives me the freedom to choose to do nothing!

Emotions

What triggers an emotion? A smell? A sound? A look? The human being is such a complex animal that we really have no clue when these emotions are going to hit us, or why.

I observe people on a daily basis to see what feelings are being emoted and how people interact with each other. Today I asked a question about emotions. I wanted to know why women sometimes (me especially) get so overwhelmed by an emotion that instead of being able to express the thoughts I am having in a calm and rational way, we (I) end up choked up and crying. Why? Why do I get so overwhelmed by my emotions that I can't talk?

It isn't too often, but when it happens, I feel so out of control. It is almost as if I have been transformed back to when I was a kid because the feelings rise up inside of me like a tidal wave and the more I try to contain the feelings, the more my voice trembles, the tears well up in my eyes and I can't concentrate on the words coming out of my mouth.

I was trying to explain today that it feels like another person is taking over the control of my body and I am stuck inside watching this all take place, almost like a serious, dramatic play and all I can do is let it all come out and then I can take over once again and be myself.

Why is it that men don't normally act like this? Is it hormonal? Is it just the way females are made? Are we supposed to emote like this? i suppose we are, because once the feeling has come and gone, it is like it never happened and we move on with where we were before.

It is a release of sorts.

Perhaps that is why women, in general, live longer than men? We don't bottle it all up inside and stress our bodies as much as men might be doing.

Well, that is my thought of the day. Nothing profound, just another random thought.

Mass Transit

I finally did it! I parked my car at the corner of Oakland Park Blvd. and 441 (there is a shopping plaza there), boarded the Sun Trolley, put on my headphones and cracked open the morning newspaper.

Instead of driving to work, I sat back and let someone else bother with the traffic. I didn't have to deal with seeking a parking space on the sixth floor of the parking garage and then walk two blocks to my office. I was dropped off on the corner of Andrews Avenue and SW 2nd Street, directly across the street from the Main Library.

I could actually enjoy this. The BEST part??? The Sun Trolley is absolute FREE! This is a pilot program of the Downtown Fort Lauderdale Transportation Management Association in conjunction with Broward County Mass Transit. I don't know how long it will continue to be free, and I don't know how often I will choose to take the trolley to work, but for now, I like the idea of it.

Now the downside . . . The trolley has wooden benches and is not THE most comfortable ride. The five or six people on the trolley all know each other and chat really, really loud all the way to work and home (okay, not a bad thing, it is kind of sweet that they have created this warm, fuzzy commuting environment. I am just not in the mood to talk that cheerfully at 7:20 a.m.). Once at work, I don't have a car and if I needed to leave fast, I would have to depend on someone to pick me up, so I would have to plan carefully in advance so that I don't NEED my car.

But, the cool thing is that it reminds me of when Rachel and I travel to other cities, we ALWAYS use their mass transit. We like to compare the cities we visit to the mass transit that is available. We want to get into the feel of the city and the only way is to surround ourselves with REAL people. REAL people use mass transit.

In Boston, EVERYONE uses the T (that is how they lovingly refer to their trains). It is a very simple system (check it out for yourself http://www.mbta.com/traveling_T/schedules_subway.asp). Also, EVERYONE riding the T is also reading a book.

In Manhattan, the subways and buses make commuting a breeze. Yeah it is cramped during rush hour, but you can get wherever you want. New Yorkers are not only reading, but they do it high tech! I saw a very orthodox man reading on his Palm, standing up and holding the hand strap with his free hand.

In Chicago, we stayed in the suburbs because we couldn't get a hotel room downtown. But we had fun taking the commuter trains. They were more like the Long Island RR. Cushy chairs, double decker cars, extra newspapers that everyone shared with each other. Rachel taught me all about how to read the baseball stats that summer! But the best part was connecting to the El trains and I felt like we were in Chicago Hope or ER!! We also took a train out to Salem and spent the day there. We loved the fact that we didn't need a car.

In Washington, DC it was a little more difficult. We stayed in the Adams Morgan area and had to walk about ten blocks to the Metro. When we took the trains, they were very easy to use, very, very clean and safe, however the stops were incredibly far apart and we did an amazing amount of walking. Cabs were necessary now and then for our very tired feet. But, we were able to get around very easily. Boston was still our favorite city with mass transit.

So back to mass transit here in Broward County . . . it isn't great, it isn't even good yet. But it is a beginning. At least they are trying. And at least they have convinced me to try it too! They have quite a long way to go. They have to convince 1.9 million people that it is okay to leave your car at home and interact with other residents. We are so used to leaving our air conditioned homes, to jump into our air conditioned cars complete with our satellite radio, cell phones, GPS and other gadgets that further isolate ourselves from our fellow Broward Countians to then go to our offices and plug ourselves into our telephones and computers and reverse it on the way home.

We have to learn the art of conversation, the art of looking into people's eyes when we talk and saying hello to our neighbors. Perhaps it all has to begin with mass transit?

Smokey

He's still got it!

Last night I went to see Smokey Robinson at the Hard Rock Cafe. The audience was a strange mix but there were still women screaming out, "Yeah Smokey, you sing it Smokey!"

The venue, not exactly the most ideal for a concert due to the acoustics or lack of acoustics, was small and fairly intimate. The hall seats about 5,000. Every seat was filled. The ushers had their work cut out for them -- a challenge because some of the patrons were a bit more frail than they are used to showing to their seat.

We sat in the front row of the second section on the floor of the hall. It was a great seat because we were on a small riser and there was no one in front of us to obstruct our view. But because we were on a riser, anyone that was coming in late or getting up to go to the restroom had difficulty in seeing the step up or down. The usher wasn't always standing there with her flashlight and many would trip or slip on that step. I grabbed many an elbow to steady that person during the concert. A bit of a distraction, but it didn't really bother me.

Out came Smokey in front of an orchestra (all local musicians!!) complete with a baby grand piano, a string and horn section on stage left; drums stage center; and additional instrumentals on stage right with his three back-up singers downstage right. Smokey was dressed in all grey -- shirt, slacks and jacket that were sprinkled with sequins. He just stood there smiling at the audience and they went nuts!!

Then I had to laugh because remember when we would light a match to get the mood right? Or to get the rock star to come back out?? Now everyone whips out their camera phone to take photos! So the dark audience was illuminated by a soft LED glow! that was really the only high tech thing about the entire evening.

At one point, Smokey went off to change into black slacks, white shirt, bright red jacket with a black sequined tie and a black handkerchief in his breast pocket -- look extremely dapper -- he sang standards -- Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, etc. With his falsetto voice still clear as a bell, Smokey hit every single note.

Then he launched into a medley of Motown hits -- which he wrote for greats like Diana Ross and the Supremes, Little Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye. The audience was rockin' and so was I.

So yeah . . . he may be 66 years old, but you would never know it by listening. You could have easily closed your eyes and believed that you were sitting in at a concert in the early 1960s.

Laughter

Children, on an averge, laugh 200 times a day. Adults laugh 15 - 18 times a day.

That is a pretty strong statistic. Laughter is healthy for us. According to the Discovery Health Website, when we laugh, "natural killer cells which destroy tumours and viruses increase, along with Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), T-cells (important for our immune system) and B-cells (which make disease-fighting antibodies). As well as lowering blood pressure, laughter increases oxygen in the blood, which also encourages healing."

So why don't we just laugh more as adults?? It is good for us. When something is good for us, we can endulge. Like eating healthy foods or getting more exercise. But sometimes we are lazy and just grab the first thing we can for our lunch or skip the gym because we are too tired from work or our long commutes in the traffic.

But laughter . . . it is readily available. We can chat with our office mates and tell a funny story or tickle our children and end up laughing ourselves or watch a television show that is a comedy.

Sounds good, but you can't force a laugh. Then it isn't the same thing. Or can you?

Last night I was watching "Dancing with the Stars" and they were talking about Harry Hamlin. They said that last week he was stiff and needed to loosen up. So they hired a "Laughter Yogi" to work with him and his dance partner.

They show them standing on yoga mats taking turns saying, "ha ha." They went around a few times, changing the delivery of the sound of the "ha" and by the second or third time, they were rolling on the floor hysterically laughing.

That reminded me of the game we used to play as children where we would place our heads on each other's stomachs and go around the circle one at a time saying, Ha." By the third or fourth person we were all laughing so hard we had to abandon the game.

Maybe we should all force a bit of laughter into our lives. It feels so good when you stop laughing.

Sometimes I start to giggle and then laugh when I am with my family. Then know the signs. Sometimes I just can't stop and the tears start to roll down my face and my stomach muscles get sore. But the laughing keeps on going. Anything can set it off again. Sometimes if I think about that situation the next day at work . . . I can start laughing for no reason.

So, go on and get out there and laugh. It is free, easy and healthy for you. Besides, it is just plain fun.

Here is a photo of me laughing at work with one of my colleagues!

I Love You

Such simple words, "I Love You." But why do we dole these three words out with such caution and reluctance?

It seems that the older I get, the more I am reminded, daily, that life is such a precicious commodity. In the news we read about car accidents, war casualties, illnesses. There is so much saddness in our lives, but yet we overlook the simplicity of three little words. Words that are so easy to say. It rolled off our tongues so easily when we were mere toddlers looking up adoringly into our parent's eager faces as we were learning difficults tasks that would carry us through our lifetime. Tasks like crawling, walking, feeding and dressing ourselves. Things that we take for granted now.

We would fall down and skin a knee and our mom would scoop us up and cuddle us and plant a kiss on our forehead, she would say, "I love you," and life would be wonderful once again.

Why can't we look at our spouse, our children, our friends and just tell them that we love them? Why is this such a difficult thing to say? Or perhaps, it isn't as difficult as it is simply forgotten.

We have become a society that is obsessed with our electronic gadgets, our mp3 players, our computers, our television sets, even our cars. We forget that the basic communication skills are sorely lacking.

I can see this in my employees that are of the generation Y. The children born of the 1980s. They were born into a world that was moving at a pace unheard of. Cell phone were coming of age. Vinyl records became antiques. Cassette tapes and VCRs were also quickly swept under the rug. These children didn't know how to go outside and play tag or jump rope. They lounged in their bedrooms playing videogames. They soon learned that the computer replaced verbal communication. It not only cut down on the time that it took to push the buttons on the telephone to connect to their friends, but now they connect to the entire globe.

With all of these choices, how can they be expected to focus on a simple conversation? How can they be expected to purchase a season's subscription to ONE theater company -- how boring!! Generation Y is a conservative bunch but yet needs a lot of nurturing.

How different it was for me growing up. This is the realization that I am of a different generation. I remember in the early 1970s when the question arose about whether or not there was a generation gap.

Well, of course there was. There is and there will always be. But why can't we just stop and say those three simple words, "I Love You?" It might make the generation gap a little less extreme.

9-11

I instisted that I wasn't going to watch any of the specials that would bring back the memories. But after I took a shower, flipped on the TV in the dressing area, poured my cup of green tea and sat down to put on my makeup, I had absolutely no choice but hear Matt Lauer say , "It is a somber day in lower Manhattan." As I turned my attention to the TV, Matt Lauer then took a deep breath and looked at the camera and I lost it. It was as though the past five years didn't even happen. I was transformed back to that horrible moment in time when America lost it's last bit of innocence.

I will always remember exactly where I was, what I was wearing, who I was with and what I was feeling. Just as I remember where I was when President Kennedy was shot and where I was when the Challenger exploded. Those life changing moments define a generation. Burns a memory into your brain with such precision that it almost hurts to think about it.

Five years ago, I was driving Rachel and Adina to school. I hear Matt Laurer and Katie Couric talking about an accident in progress. I heard their concern escalate. Joel kept calling me to tell me what he was seeing. I was getting more and more upset about what what happening. But I kept on driving. After I dropped the girls off at school I drove over to ArtServe for a meeting with Mary (my director) and my Cultural Information Center volunteers -- many of whom are transplanted New Yorkers like myself.

None of us could concentrate. We all wanted to call our relatives who still lived in New York. Mary tried very hard to keep the meeting moving, but no one was listening to us. Joel kept calling me to update me on the various events that were occuring at the Pentagon and then the other plane that might have been headed for the White House. Then he was describing the sickening site he was watching of the Twin Towers swaying and then ultimately falling. He was screaming all sorts of obsenities into the phone as he was descirbing these sites. Joel, was clearly shaken and was getting me equally as upset.

Finally, Mary got the call that the County was closing all public facilities and all staff should head home. It was a very scary feeling. Very helpless. Were we next? We sent our volunteers home. Everyone was hugging and crying. It was terribly emotional.

At 10 a.m. I went to school and quietly walked into the front office and just asked for Rachel and Adina. No one said anything. They just called the girls to the front office. I wasn't the only parent there.

I didn't even say a word to the girls until we were safely in the haven of our car and driving back home. Adina wanted to know why we were going home so early in the day. It took an ENOURMOUS effort to find my voice and the correct words to delicately tell my little baby girls what was happening in NY and Washington. The tears wouldn't come, but my throat hurt and my head was pounding.

Eventually, I did find the right words to tell them in simple terms what was going on. Rachel was 10 and Adina was six years old. It wasn't an easy task.

When we got home, we just huddled on the couch, the four of us. Just holding each other and watching the TV. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. It was completely surreal. We stayed there most of the day. I remember that I had expended so much emotion that I fell asleep as we cuddled there on the couch. I felt safe with my family with me.

All of those thoughts came rushing back to me as Matt Lauer let out that deep sigh. I just knew what he was feeling because I still feel it it too. It is hiding just under the surface always.

Jody Robin

So I saw a comment today about the name of my URL. Jody Robin. You wanted to know more.

Yes, that is me. For those of you who are not family, my Mom named me Jody after the little boy in the classic book, "The Yearling." The book, written by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, is about a boy who adopts a fawn as a pet. My middle name, Robin, comes from my Mom's mother, Rebecca. In the Jewish religion children are named after deceased relatives, but only the first initial is used.

When I was little, my Mom used to call me JR in a very loving, sweet way. If I heard "Jody Robin" I KNEW that I was in trouble.

One of my cousins, until the day he left this earth, would call me Jody Robin. No matter what! I would look forward to his annual phone calls on my birthday and other special occasions. I miss those phone calls. I miss his voice as I miss my Mother's voice calling from the other room. But I can still hear it very clearly in my head. That never leaves you.

Lazy Days of Summer

Not really a typical day today. Started at 6 am when I woke up and had to throw the covers off because Adina had climbed into bed at some point during the night. She radiates so much heat that I couldn't stand it and I was stuck in the middle. That woke up Joel and the two of us started to have a conversation. Well, my little princess didn't like that and started crying because we were bothering her precious sleep. Doesn't matter that her heat waves woke me up! Oh well. Such is the life of a Mom!

I guess I dozed off again, but at 7:30 a.m. I could hear Joel flipping through the Sunday newspaper. So I joined him in the den with my iced coffee (always start a day with my iced coffee!!). I actually made it through the entire paper before it was time to take Adina to Hebrew School.

So off we trekked to school. Joel in one car and me in the other. We followed each other to Sears because Joel needed new tires on his car. On the drive to Sears, I called my Dad to wish him a good trip. He and Elaine are off to Philly for 10 days for Stephanie and Rob's engagement party -- can't wait to hear about that! And Cyndi is going to be honored by the ASID.

Of course we didn't find what we wanted at Sears. They gave us attitude about the ad in the newspaper. They just don't know how to provide customer service and they don't seem to care either. So we left, turned around and came back to try one more time and left equally as frustrated. So we headed up to Tires Plus.

Bingo, they not only had what we needed, but they gave us several deep discounts, a free tire and great customer service to boot. Can't beat that.

So Joel and I headed off to do our Sunday morning shopping -- you know stuff like laundry detergent and toilet paper!! Didn't do the food shopping yet, but at least we spent the morning together.

When we arrived back at the temple to pick up Adina, I ran into Meryl and Elana. Elana was telling me all about how she was inspired by Rachel's driving yesterday and so she drove to the temple today!

Yes, it is true. Rachel is driving. It is such a strange feeling for me to sit in the passenger seat beside my offspring as she turns the key of the ignition and starts the car and pulls out into TRAFFIC!! My baby is driving on the dangerous streets of South Florida. How scary is that. Not because Rachel is driving, but because I now have to worry about her safety from the other crazy drivers on the road.

Okay, so she only has her learners permit. I have an entire year to get used to this notion. But still. Just five years ago she was ten years old and in elementary school. Ten years ago she was in Kindergarten and fifteen years ago she was wearing diapers. Oh I guess I am getting melodramatic here.

Later in the day we made another trip to go pick the car and I headed off to the gym. It was a lovely workout because instead of using the machines or the mats in the corner, I went into the aerobics room because it was empty and did some dance exercises. Boy am I out of shape in that genre, but I enjoyed it anyway. Some plies using the wall to steady myself. I even practiced attitudes and arabesques and turns. I had a bit of a giggle because as I was doing these exercises listening to James Taylor, Billy Joel and Green Day -- there was this guy in there practicing his jabs at the punching bag! What a dichotomy!

Well after about an hour and a half, I had more than enough. I treated myself to a nice soak in the whirlpool. When you break a sweat in water, you know it is time to get out! But I then treated myself to a few minutes in the sauna. At that point I REALLY needed a shower. When I looked in the mirror I had to laugh out loud because my face was so very red.

But I feel great. I am now sitting and sipping water waiting for Joel to tell us when dinner is ready.

And so another Leshinsky weekend comes to a close. I guess I started out this line of thinking saying that today was NOT a typical day, however, it became exactly that! A typical Sunday! Nothing terribly dramatic, but I like consistency. It is very comforting to me.

Another Saturday Night

So here we are, back home again. Me, sitting in the bedroom, water on the night stand, television providing a backdrop of white noise that I occasionally pay attention to, Adina watching cartoons in her room, Rachel working on MySpace.com and Joel in his icy cold cave of a den watching something on that televion.

We went out to dinner with Dad and Elaine and Gert to a pizza place on Federal Highway near the airport called Anthony's. They had the absolute BEST pizza I have ever tasted. Maybe I was really hungry, but this pizza had such a fabulous taste. It is a very thin crust, very little cheese, sweet roasted pepper, green peppers and mushrooms. Then it is cooked in a REAL brick oven. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I topped it off with a glass of red wine and the Marlins game. I couldn't be happier.

We had to leave as the Marlins went into the bottom of the 9th inning and the score was 3 to 3. That was not easy for me. However, we put the game on in the car, but I really couldn't hear because everyone insisted on talking over the radio announcers.

Oh well, the Marlins finally did win, but I missed hearing it! But Monday night, we will be going to the game and they will be playing my beloved Mets! Then I have a difficult time. I love my Mets, but I am loyal to the Marlins. I end up cheering for both teams and the girls yell at me to be quiet!!

All in all, it was a very nice day. I did start very early at 6 am when Joel left for work. I just got up and started moving and reading email and trying to catch up on all the things that have been hanging since I came home from Alaska. I do feel that I made quite a dent in my work. I feel more organized and I have delegated a lot of the work away to my staff. Now I just have to trust them to do the work that has been assigned.

Anyway, it is Saturday night, enough about work and more about relaxation.