I need not tell you, my readers, that 2001 has been the most dramatic and volatile year of my life, and perhaps, in the history of the world. There have been so many ups-and-downs for me that it would be madness to even attempt to list them all. The tragedy that was 9/11/01 also enabled me to see that I have surrounded myself with wonderful and loyal friends around the globe. I have transformed myself physically into a new person, which of course, has led to a mental transformation as well. I lost my grandfather, and a big piece of my heart and soul. I’ve created some of the best music I have ever written, and completed my first novel- which I consider my artistic pinnacle. So much has happened- it’s almost as if 10 years of life experience were squeezed into one. Yet the world still turns. There is so much more to come.

 After surviving a benchmark year like this, I feel that making only one New Year’s Resolution for the year to follow is insufficient. I finally kept a resolution, the one I made to cover 2000 into 2001. Those of you who know me know what it was, and damned if I’m not proud of myself. I’ve randomly decided to make ten (10) resolutions for 2001 into 2002. I intend to keep them all. It will be difficult, but not impossible. They are:

 1) I will be able to run two miles. This is a continuation of my physical metamorphosis. It will ensure that the inches and pounds that I have shed remain a memory. Right now, I can manage about _ of a mile if I really push the boundaries of my endurance. There is definitely some work left to be done. But I have joined a gym, and I’ve actually gone a few times. If that women’s volleyball team keeps practicing there on Wednesday and Thursday nights, I should be sufficiently distracted from noticing my fatigue to eventually go the distance.

 2) I will sell my first song. My family never lets me forget the fact that, although I keep writing and recording music, and it keeps getting better and better, I have never actually done anything with it. That is going to change this year. I am going to start shopping myself and my work aggressively. I will play out in divey bars, burn CD’s and send out letters, even hire an agent if I have to. I don’t write music to keep it private. I write music because I want to share it with as many people as I can. My web site is not enough. I need publicity.

 3)  I will give more to charity. The kindness and generosity displayed by the entirety of American socieity, particularly in the last quarter of the year, is proof enough of Anne Frank’s hypothesis. No matter how much evil is perpetrated by those few lunatics, idiots and egomaniacs intent on wreaking havoc and breeding hatred, human beings are good at heart. People rise to the occasion. Always have, always will. Whether it’s a check to an organization or a few coins in a tin can, I will do more to help those who need it. I, too, will rise.

 4) I will read more. I’ve noticed that I spend way too much time glued to the tube, and not enough with my nose between the pages. Television is a desert (albeit with one or two oases). There is an ocean of books out there- so many great works of literature which I have never read, it is shameful. I will read one classic novel, or poetry collection, or New York Times bestseller every month. My vocabulary needs improvement, anyway… and my Quote of the Week section on this web site needs source material.

 5) I will go somewhere in the world that I have never been. Sounds simple enough, but I don’t get that much opportunity to travel, and my vacation time is limited. I will use it wisely. Perhaps I will repay Japan for their culinary and dietary excellence, and spend a few yen at the ginza. Or maybe I’ll contribute a few Euros to the economy of Denmark, in thanks for the heroism of its citizens and king during the Holocaust. I could go to Israel, the home of my faith. And I’ve heard rumors that Italy has some nice artwork and spicy meatballs. One place or another, I am going to broaden my horizons.

 6) I will watch the sun set as often as possible. I am not very strict or rigorous when it comes to my religious practice. But I do have a strong belief in the presence of the divine. One need only look to the western sky at dusk to feel that presence as I do. Sunset doesn’t take long. But it lasts just long enough to clear your mind, be thankful for what you have, get a sense of your own life force and vitality. I already do this frequently. It is my one regular spiritual ritual. At worst, it is a great restorative, better than a nap. And so, I will continue, no matter what comes along to distract me.

 7) I will think of my grandfathers every day. My father’s father died nearly ten years ago. My mother’s father died this past November. They were both great men, who I loved very much, and who profoundly influenced the way I think and act. David Friedman lived in a state of perpetual happiness and preached perpetual optimism, no matter what was going on around him. He made everyone else happiert. Abraham Topkin conquered every challenge he faced with fiercest determination and unmatched courage. He made everyone else stronger. As role models go, you couldn’t do much better. 

 8) I will write a children’s book. I’m not talking about a "Harry Potter" style novel. I’m thinking more along the lines of combining Dr. Seuss’s poetics and symbolism with Jim Henson’s humor and charm. I’ve had it with Barney- as a newspaper writer once said, if the dinosaurs had to go extinct, why did Barney have to live? Kids need quality stuff. The great thing is, I have a illustrator all lined up and ready to go. It’ll sell like hot cakes, I tell ya… hot cakes!!! Now, if only I had an idea for a story and some characters. Well, it will come to me eventually.

 9) I will waste less time. I mean this in every sense. I hate waiting on lines, waiting for a space at the front of a parking lot, waiting for my stupid 56K modem to connect, waiting in traffic and at pay tolls, waiting for the subway, waiting three days for an answer to a simple question that should have taken 5 minutes, waiting for those annoying TV commercials to end, waiting for my big break. If you want life to move faster, then you have to make it move faster yourself. Push the stone until it gives. Take a chance, and move on immediately if you’re unsuccessful. Dismiss the unresponsive. That’s what I’m gonna do. Boy, I sounded like Dennis Leary for a minute. 

 10) I will not be afraid. This is the hardest one, I think. There is a lot in this world to legitimately be afraid of, especially now. Until last year, I often felt that I was frozen in a block of ice. Paralyzed, just by everyday things in everyday life. Not so anymore. As my metabolic rate has sped up, I have been thawed out. I see now what I am capable of becoming, and fear only gets of the way of that vision. I feel that I only did three truly brave things this year. One- I tried fish for the first time in 21 years. Don’t laugh. I had horrible experiences with fish in my childhood, which resulted in two decades worth of trauma. It took a lot for me to eat it. Now I eat sushi every day, and I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. Two- I flew on an airplane only a month after 9/11/01. If I hadn’t, I don’t know if I would have ever been able to fly again. I had two great flights, even if security at LAX is worse now than ever before. Terrorists are the frightened ones. They are afraid because they realize how completely insignificant they are, that the world would be a better place without them. Three- I eulogized my grandfather at his funeral. No amount of words could encapsulate my grandfather. He lived a magnificent and incredible life. I was scared out of my mind to even try to capture his essence. But I did it. And according to everyone who listened, I did him at least some modicum of justice. He deserved it.

 And so, in 2002, I will be braver still. If there is something I want to try, I will try it, not just imagine trying it. If I don’t like it, I have no obligation to do it again. I already tried jogging, which I once considered anathema, and it ain’t half bad. If there’s a woman I’m interested in, I will not think about asking her out- I’ll just ask away (this actually combines Resolutions #9 and #10, thus increasing my efficiency). As the poem goes, "it is better to have loved, and lost, than never to have loved at all." If there is some way that I can challenge myself, to make myself better, I will accept the challenge- even if there is some pain involved. George Mallory died climbing Mount Everest, but he became immortal for his reason for making the attempt- "because it is there." I’m going to start looking for my Everest. Well… except for the dying part. That I could do without. But still, the best things in life are not free. The things in life that you enjoy the most, from which you derive the most pride and look back on with the greatest sense of accomplishment, are those things that you work for the hardest. And finally, if someone tries to dictate to me how I should think or act or behave, I will resist. I will shake my fist at the enemy. I will not hate for hate’s sake.

 Happy New Year, everyone. I wish you all peace, health, joy and understanding.

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