My wife
Alecia and I are in New York City this week. The temperatures are above average
for New York and well above average for Minneapolis. I have walked 12 miles so
far through the sublime Central Park. It is a challenge to get ones’ head
around the park. According to some sources it contains 843 acres and 26,000 trees. These 843 acres
represent some of the most expensive real estate in the world. Yet, in a city
know for its’ greed, the developers were banned and we have this jewel.
You witness there a constant stream of joggers,
walkers, bikers and tourist bikers along the way. The park is very well cared
for. Men and women trimming the trees, raking the flowerbeds, picking up the
litter and garbage. As a person that grew up in the 1960’s I have to say it
seems like an honor to walk around The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Reservoir. Have you ever seen those shots of her being caught by a photographer
enjoying the park alone? New York City is a precious place. Those who know me
understand that I prefer living in Santa Monica, the beach community within Los
Angeles. That is true, I may be one of the last, but I love LA. Yet, New York
City is very hard to beat.
Consider my day today. I
am sure you know the type of days when you start out spilling and burning
yourself making morning coffee? This day was the opposite of that. I left the
apartment about 8:20 and immediately ran into one of my students from the
Steiner School and her mother. Sheer coincidence (synchronicity?) led me to see,
at the mere breaking of dawn, two of my favorite people in the world. Then I arrived at the home of my friends
who invited me to see their daughter, and three other former students of
mine, participate in an assembly at her new Waldorf School.
The Brooklyn Waldorf
School really has something good going. Their new home is in a spectacular
building. I have seen the full spectrum of Waldorf initiatives from the
smallest to “the legendary” (in their
minds at least), and the Brooklyn Waldorf School is an inspiration. We were honored to be in the 4th
grade room during snack and observed them during recess. My friend took me on a
full tour to allow me to understand the opportunity that this beautiful space
affords.
Afterwards we ran some
errands and then went to Eataly for lunch. What an elegant experience
we had at Manzo! The food and the service were spectacular but did not compare to the
conversation that my friend and I had. I explained the mission
of the Center for Imaginative Action to him, and not only did he get it, he is
living it. My friend is a life long creative type, who has had tremendous success in his
pursuits and now has decided to learn to become a pilot. This forces him to develop
the exact precision of a scientist, which Carl Jung would have seen as the
opposite of his actor/artist personality. Now he gets to be an accomplished
creative person with precise thinking skills, in Jung’s terms a more individuated
person.
As if that was not enough,
tonight Alecia and I attended a “Music on 4” house concert on the Upper West Side. Abbie Gardner of Red Molly, Pete
Kennedy of The Kennedy’s, Abbie’s father Herb Gardner on the trombone, and
Craig Akin with his base circa 1850. These artists produced an incredible
acoustic performance. Here are a few of the
photos Alecia took.
Now, after this great day
in NYC, we are home in our apartment and feeling very grateful for the city,
the people in the city, and the fact that we are here. With all the troubles in
our country, and the history of mistakes that we have made, let's allow Central Park in New York City to be a
symbol of America getting it right.
.
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