Forty years ago this month, I went to a political rally in Chicago at a well-known gathering place called Wozniak’s. Countless Chicago Democrats frequented this bar and restaurant to talk politics and raise a glass or two. If you were a patronage worker or one within the inner circles of the “Daley Machine,” you knew Wozniak’s.
Whether you believe me or not, I’ve never, not once, asked for any specific gift for Christmas. I got what I got, and that’s how it was.
The other day, I spent 90 minutes online watching the Prevention Institute webinar, “Cultivating Prevention Champions: Making the Case to Local Elected Officials.” Although I’m someone who calls and writes elected officials regularly, I found the webinar well worthwhile.
Saying I loved going to school never made me the most popular kid in the class or on the block, but I loved going and learning. I especially loved elementary school when Mr. Pelligrini took Sister Henrica’s place and taught history, geography and current events. Watching “Meet the Press” and PBS programs were homework. We’d have discussions and get excited about what we were learning.
When I was a kid in the 1950s, there was no such thing as having a discussion with my parents. They made the rules and I followed.
Picture yourself at home, alone. Because of your failing eyesight, you can’t drive. From time to time, your arthritis is so painful you can’t get out of bed. Your spouse of 57 years has passed away. Your children live in three different states, with the closest being 750 miles away.
“Be Kind … It Takes All Of Us” is the theme of Boulder City’s 65th annual Damboree Parade. Those words got me thinking about not only how we treat each other but also how connected we are to everyone. What we say and how we say it not only affects everyone we talk to but also what we get back from them.
Being from a Chicago neighborhood that grew out of a tradition of being more than a little rough around the edges, and adding just the right amount of my familial, Sicilian cynicism, has made me the outspoken, in-your-face kind of person I am today.
The first thing I do every morning is check my email. Two Sundays ago, there a was a message from a trusted friend telling me there was going to be a gun show in Boulder City during the Spring Jamboree. And it was going to be held in both Parks and Recreation Department gyms.
