Fridays with Manny

image

THE IMPORTANCE OF TREES

How to save our world – one tree at a time

January 25th was a Jewish holiday called Tu BiShvat, which is known as the New Year of the Trees. The holiday appears in the Talmud and in contemporary Israel, it is celebrated as an ecological awareness day with planting of trees, also known as Jewish “Earth Day”, or Arbor Day, which is celebrated in many countries all over the world.

It seems that many of us take trees for granted. When I checked online, I found a long list of why trees are important. “They give us clean water to drink, air to breathe, shade and food to humans, animals and plants. They provide habitats for numerous species of fauna and flora, firewood for cooking and heat, materials for buildings and places of spiritual, cultural and recreation importance. Trees are important for the global environment and the health of the species that live there, and they need our unconditional care and protection.”

In our backyard we had three huge cypress trees. Unfortunately, because of their old age and the roots which were destroying a retaining wall, we had to remove them. Instead, our landscapers planted four new ones. Two magnolias and two Japanese cherry trees, also two butterfly bushes and other plants and flowers. We are blessed to have a beautiful garden and contributors to the betterment of our environment. In the spring and summer, new flowers will give me new images for next year’s calendar. Meanwhile, enjoy the three beautiful roses from my 2024 weekly calendar, which is called “53 Reminders”. You can still order it on Amazon.

Enjoy and Share with a Friend!

image

Fridays with Manny

image

DOUBLE LUCK

Every birthday has significance as every number has the meaning. And then there are special numbers. On January 13th I reached double luck. When last year people asked about my age, my answer was 67 (at least this is how I feel). Then I was explaining that when I turned 70, I became dyslexic. The game is over (though I still feel 67). Turns out that 7 is the special lucky number. So, let’s take a pick in the online meanings for the numbers.

“People affiliated with the number seven are believed to be insightful, intuitive, truthful, introspective, intellectual and wise”, and then, to support the description, another website informed that the number 7 symbolizes “solitude, hidden knowledge, spiritual truth and introspective.” And all of these just for one number seven, and I have double — 77. There is another numbers combination related to this special date when we add numbers in my birthday. 01-13-2024 it adds up to 13, which is my birthdate. In spite of some negative superstition, I found out that “Angel Number 13 symbolizes leading with love and compassion, staying focused on the positive in the face of negativity, being passionate about your ambitions and finding success in the future.”

Now the question is – O.K. I got all of that, but how this can benefit you? Actually you have the answer. After all, everything I do is for your benefits. Mortgage consulting, writing, photography, books publishing and of course, my friendship.

If you feel deprived because you don’t have number 7 or 13 in your life, I decided to share with you some of my luck – my new desktop calendar with gorgeous flowers and my pearls of wisdom. I called it “53 Reminders”. Please order it here. The three images you can see above are flowers from the calendar.

Enjoy and Share!

image

Fridays with Manny

image

BIG WAVES

It always gives me pleasure to receive emails from the appreciative readers like “Love your “Fridays with Manny” weekly columns and your photography in them is outstanding!”

But this time an email also came with the recommendation: “This is the time of year for big ocean waves due to a combination of storms and tides. These big waves provide beauty, excitement, evocative adventurous imagery, and potential danger. Have you thought of potentially devoting one of your early 2024 Fridays with Manny columns to ocean waves? One of my favorite places to view them is Rockaway Beach in Pacifica.”

When I decided to check the waves on January 1st, the storm was over. Nevertheless, we went to San Francisco Ocean Beach for a walk with Max. There were no dramatic waves, but there were a lot of people who came just to enjoy the ocean. For me this was a very good reminder that the big waves come and go, but people will continue having a good time. There are some “experts” who make negative predictions about 2024. For me these negative events are just temporary storms, which come and go away. My New Year resolution is to stay away from the negativity. I hope you will do the same.

One of the ways to stay positive, which is not easy, is to be exposed to the positive information. This is why I published the book “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to accomplish Financial Comfort” as well as a gorgeous weekly calendar “53 Reminders”. Both are available at the provided links on Amazon.

Recently an article in the San Francisco Chronicle told a story about Big Waves filmed by Tim Bonython. You can watch his film Monster Mavericks by clicking this link. Ocean waves not only can be big, they can be beautiful, as you can see from the three images above.

Enjoy and Share!

image

 

Fridays with Manny

image

EVERY WEEK IS BEAUTIFUL

Most people like flowers. They are an indication of the change of the seasons. We see them in nature in our gardens or in our homes. Flowers have at least three stages; when they just open, while in full bloom and when they fade away. This is a good reminder of our lives. Yet, there is another stage – when they are photographed and the images are shown to others. Flowers are my favorite subject to photograph. However, this is only the first step. The next one is to process the images on the computer and then to share the results with others.

I do this in various ways. Last year, with the help of a web designer, I put together a website, “TheHealingImages.com (THI.com)”. I also make prints as gifts for my friends. And over the last four years, I’ve received a lot of compliments for my monthly wall calendars with flowers. This year, I decided to share with you more flowers. Therefore, instead of seeing twelve of them, each month, you are going to enjoy 53 images in a weekly calendar, that also comes with weekly words of my thoughts, which I call reminders.

Some people only use their mobile phones to record appointments and special weekly events. But I hope you see these weekly encounters and plannings as pieces of art, which could lighten your weeks. I suspect that after the year 2024 is over, the calendar will still adorn your coffee table or bookshelf; unless, of course, there will be a demand for me to produce the next one.

 

These three images are from the calendar, which is available on Amazon at this link. While on Amazon, please also check this link for my latest book “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to accomplish Financial Comfort”, which besides valuable information presents quite a few images of beautiful nature.


Enjoy and Share!

image

Fridays with Manny

image

WHY OWN A DOG?

I am writing this essay sitting in my “writing” chair, which I share with Max. He occupies it when I am not writing and jumps off when my turn comes. If you do not know him yet, he is our six years young labradoodle. After we adopted him at the age of ten months from his breeder in Monterey, I started recording my daily experiences of his behavior and read about twenty “How to” books to find the answer of how to become his best friend. This experience led to producing and publishing my book of stories and photos, “42 Encounters with Dog Lovers”, which you can order on Amazon. During the next six years, Max taught me a lot about life, joy and gratitude. I even summarized these lessons and included them in my business card.

What prompted me to write this story was an article in The Wall Street Journal titled, “How Dogs Help Us Lead Longer, Healthier Lives”. It was actually a review of a new book written by Jen Golbeck and Stacey Colino,“The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human-Canine Connection”. It is based on many studies and has a very simple conclusion – “Besides having specific effects on health, your relationship with your dog may alter your attitude toward health and life in general”.

While I am writing, Max wants to be sure that I am in good physical shape and for my exercises he constantly brings me his ball. My task is to bend down and to throw it back to him. In a few hours, since I need fresh air and serene scenery, he will take me for a walk in Golden Gate Park. And since he thinks this might not be enough, he will take me again for a short walk in the evening in our neighborhood, knowing that some fresh air will help me to sleep better. If you decide that someone like Max can benefit your life, please let me know, I will connect you with his breeder. Labradoodles are smart, easy to train and very loveable.


If you or someone you know is in retirement age, and is concerned about extra expenses connected with dog ownerships, please read my new book, “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort”.

 

These three images are of our beloved best friend, Max, who tries to catch a squirrel during our walks in Golden Gate Park.

 

WITH THIS FINAL STORY OF 2023, I AM SENDING ALL OF YOU MY HEARTFELT WISHES OF HAPPINESS, PEACE OF MIND, AND WELLBEING.

LET’S MAKE 2024 A GREAT YEAR TOGETHER!

 

Enjoy and Share with a Friend!

image

 

Fridays with Manny

image

WALKING IN THE RAIN

The lyrics to the song “Walking in the Rain with The One I Love”, came to mind during our recent trip to Portland, Oregon; where we came to celebrate Chanukah with our granddaughter and her parents. We have been there many times, but it was our first raining experience. It was good that my wife Elfa reminded me to pack my raincoat, because on Sunday morning we had some free time and decided to walk in the rain.

There’s an area in Portland called Nob Hill, on NW 23rd Avenue. It is one of the oldest areas of Portland and within a few blocks there are many Victorian buildings with restaurants, cafés, boutiques and a fabulous bookstore, where we spent an hour browsing through books. When we stepped out with a bag full of books, the rain stopped, and suddenly the empty streets were filled with people. I was surprised to find out that it rains more in Portland (43 inches) than in Seattle (38 inches), annually. And it is no wonder that Portland is surrounded by the lush, beautiful nature.

Photographing a carpet of yellow leaves on the sidewalk, through my umbrella, reminded me that Portland has four seasons. It also has Mount Tabor Park, where my three ladies enjoyed a stroll in the drizzling rain. I was not surprised to capture a photo of a man, who collected empty cans, and was carrying an umbrella as well.

Along with my heartfelt season’s greetings and best wishes of Merry Christmas, I am sending you a reminder that my new book “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort” has quite a few images of beautiful nature. You are welcome to order the book by clicking on this link.

Enjoy and Share with a Friend!

image

Fridays with Manny

image

GREETINGS FROM BERLIN

We recently returned from a three week-long vacation. This time, we went on a Viking Cruise Line on the Danube River through Eastern Europe (strongly recommend). Our trip started in Berlin, where my wife’s brother and his family reside. They moved there many years ago. And as a result, we’ve visited Berlin and traveled through Germany’s beautiful countryside many times. Berlin can be an interesting city to visit for many reasons, and in the past, I crisscrossed it on foot (which drove my wife crazy and tired her out).

This time, we mostly focused on seeing our family, but we did venture out to visit the former Jewish neighborhood Mitte, which has become a popular destination for tourists as well as for locals. Real estate prices in this part of Berlin have gone up significantly. Berliners are different from people living in other parts of Germany or Europe. It is the only city where people have objected my photographing them. I do not know the reason, but in the past, I was not comfortable to be here. Was it subconscious? After all, I was born in Riga, Latvia in 1947. It was occupied by the Nazis, and most of mine and my wife’s aunts and uncles were killed by the Germans and their collaborators.

After the end of WWII, Germany recognized its role in the Jewish genocide and created an environment where the expression of antisemitism was prohibited. They established a fund to compensate survivors, many of whom moved to Israel. It also developed close business relationships between the two countries. Even though there are over five million Muslims living in Germany, it has deep support for Israel during the war against Hamas. My prayers of peace are for both Israelis and Palestinians. I believe that after Hamas rulers are going to be removed, the two neighbors will finally get closer. During our visit to the Jewish Quarter, I photographed brass plaques on the sidewalks, as well as a sculpture of Jewish Victims at the entrance to a Jewish school named after Moses Mendelssohn.

Enjoy and Share with a Friend!

image

Fridays with Manny

image

CHOOSE LIGHT!

Tonight, December 8th, is the second night of the Jewish Holiday, Hanukkah. It commemorates events which took place almost 2,200 years ago. It was a dark period in history in the Land of Israel, which was occupied by the Seleucid Empire. The miracle happened when a small source of light dispelled the darkness. This is why this holiday is called the Festival of Lights.

According to the Torah, the light was one of the first creations, “And God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness (Genesis 1:3). Now the question is – can we do the same? My answer is yes. We just need to let light in our hearts, to enable us to use our moral compass. There is always light and darkness. Choose light.

The word “photography” means “drawing with light”. One of my forthcoming photo books has the title, “42 Encounters with Illumination”, which is going to be ready in 2024. Meanwhile, my new book, “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to accomplish Financial Comfort” may shed some light for people who are retired or are planning to be. Please order the book here and write a review when you have it read.

The above images of light reflecting in the water were captured during our recent trip to Eastern Europe on the Danube River. I will share some of my travel experiences with you in the coming weeks.

Enjoy and share with a friend!

image

Fridays with Manny

image

ARE YOU READY?

Anyone who was in the Boys/Girls Scout Organization knows there are three Scout slogans. “Do a Good Turn Daily”, “A scout is helpful” and “Help other people at all times”. And their motto is, “Be prepared”.  When I was growing up in Riga, Latvia, which at that time was part of the Soviet Union, we had a youth organization like the Scouts called the Pioneers. It had a very similar motto, “Be Ready!” with the response “Always Ready!” So, my question to you is, “Are you ready to help other people retire with financial comfort?” If you read my posts last few weeks, you know that the title of my new book is “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Find financial Comfort”.

In this book you will discover there are several ways to accomplish this goal. However, since everything starts from you, there might be also the way to help yourself by helping retirees sell a high-priced real estate in the Bay Area and to buy a property somewhere else for much less with the assistance of a reverse mortgage. To make the text in the book more attractive, I decided to add photographs of nature. You can find three of them here.

Please order the book on Amazon. It is available in print and as well as in electronic version on Kindle. Please do not forget to write a review.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call/text me directly at (415) 225-7920 or send an email to mannykagan@comcast.net.

Enjoy and Share!

image