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Category: Manny Kagan
Fridays with Manny
Comedy is a Serious Business
While growing up in Riga, there was a famous actor and clown by the name of Yuri Nikulin. I recently learned that he died twenty-five years ago, at the age of 75. He was a very funny actor in films, as well, whose performances made many people laugh. I translated some of his notes, besides the one in the title.
My favorite occupation is to live.
The loudest are people who demand quiet.
Living takes a lot of time.
Laughter is joy for people.
To make people laugh is a joy for me.
I can especially relate to the last one; which is perhaps why I published “42 Encounters with Laughter”, which you can order here.
These three images are from the book.
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Cheers,
Fridays with Manny
How Many New Years?
According to tradition, the Jewish calendar has dates for four new years.
The first one, the Head of the Year, Rosh Hashanah, was celebrated last year, on September 6th to 8th.
The New Year for Trees – Tu BiShvat, is often called the Jewish Earth Day. What began as a day to mark the age of fruit trees for tithing purposes, has become a day devoted to honoring trees. The most common way to celebrate is by planting new trees.
The third one is the New Year for Animals and the fourth is the New Year of Kings.
The reason I write about this now, is because this year, Tu BiShvat was celebrated from January 16th to January 17th. I did not plant any trees this year; however, I photographed many of them. The three images show my interpretation of the trees’ branches.
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Cheers,
Fridays with Manny
How Young Are You?
Yesterday on January 13th, I turned 75 years young. Being old or young are just words and regardless of what is your age, you can decide what the number of years you live in the world mean to you. In Ram Dass’s book, “Polishing the Mirror” I read about an Indian tradition, according to which, life is divided into periods. Until you are twenty, it is time to learn. From twenty to forty is the time to raise the family. From forty to sixty is the time to study wisdom. And then it is time to leave the material world and one’s family to become a holy man. I follow a different tradition.
Until five years ago, when I turned seventy, I was preparing myself for the creative state of my life. For the next fifty years when I am going to be 120, my plan is to enrich other people’s life by sharing my God given gifts, either through finding mortgage solutions, writing poems and stories, publishing books and creating photo-art. My latest photo-poetry book is “42 Encounters with Love”, is going to be available at the end of January. Please pre-order it here.
Stay tuned and meanwhile enjoy the three images of flowers.
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Cheers,
Friday’s with Manny
What Is Love?
I would like to start the new year with my favorite word in English language – Love. With the power vested to me by you, my readers, I proclaim 2022 the Year of Love.
To cement my statement, I published a new photo-book, “42 Encounters with Love”, which is going to be available at the end of January. This was also my first attempt to write love poems. Through thousands of years, many great poets expressed their feelings about love in their verses. This is why I do not call myself a poet – not yet. The title of one of my poems is, “What is Love?”. There I ask this question starting with a poet and ending with a woman.
“What is love?” I asked a woman.
She did not answer but instead
closed her eyes and kissed my lips.
And suddenly I knew the answer;
Love is not words, but a feeling,
Which fills my heart with love.”
A kiss is an expression of love regardless of where we live, as you can see from my encounters in San Francisco, Paris and Tel Aviv.
Make 2022 a Great Year.
With Love.
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Cheers,
Friday’s with Manny
Reflections
Though December 31st is just another day in the calendar, people have new expectations for the new year with the anticipation of a better life. For me, it is going to be a year of noticeable dates.
On January 13th, I am going to turn 75 years young. On August 8th, Elfa and I and our family will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary. It is also 20 years since I had my last drink of alcohol (I quit for a spiritual reason). September is going to be 37 years since we started Pacific Bay Financial. And December 29th marks 50 years since we left Riga, Latvia. I can also squeeze into the list our first trip abroad in April (I keep my fingers crossed). Also in the list — my next and fourth Encounters photostory book, “42 Encounters with Love”, which is my first poetry-photo book, as well as my book, “Fridays with Manny 2021”. And since conforming limits of mortgages went up and interest rates will probably stay low, I am going to be very busy, helping many of my clients. I am going to continue to send out my weekly essays and photo images, I hope you will enjoy them.
The three images of beautiful bouquets are to remind you about the beauty of the new year.
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Make 2022 A Great Year!