Manny Kagan

Cheers,

The New Discovery

On Sunday, Max took us for a walk in Golden Gate Park. This time, we chose a different part of the park that we never visited before. It is located closer to Stanyan Street. There is a Children’s Playground with a carousel and Sharon Art Studios, where my wife Elfa takes classes. Sharon Meadow was named after William Sharon, who contributed financially to Golden Gate Park. In December 2017, Sharon Meadow was renamed after the late comedian, Robin Williams.

When we got there, I noticed a man sitting on a bench under a beautiful, tree playing guitar. It was a soul filling melody. I left Max with Elfa to play with the ball, and went to have a conversation with the musician Dennis Lyons. He told me that he is a fourth generation San Franciscan. His roots go back to 1859. His parents, as well as his three other brothers, were born in San Francisco. He also told me that he loves San Francisco and knows many stories about our special city. In the meadow, I met other musicians who gather in the park on Sundays to play music.

I decided to share with you three encounters where color does not interfere with the sound of music. If you love music, you will find my poem in “42 Encounters with Love”. Order here.

Please share with a friend!

Cheers,

Love of Nature

If you ask people if they love nature, many will say, “yes”. However the question is how to express this love. I found a solution – to write a poem.

What does it mean to love nature?

How do you feel knowing

that the trees were planted especially for you?

And what about the beauty of the forest

and the meadow where you walk barefoot?

And the birds that sing in the morning?

And the smell of blossoming spring flowers?

Consider the lakes and rivers, and mighty oceans,

and the fish, the water lilies, and the seashells.

All of these were created

especially for your pleasure and enjoyment,

to give you the opportunity

to love nature

and to share yourself with it.

This is one of the poems in my new photo-poetry book, “42 Encounters with Love” which you can buy for yourself or as a gift.

These three images are from the nature we encountered at the end of last December, during our visit to Portland, Oregon.

Enjoy and Share!

Cheers,

When Negative is Positive

A son comes home and tells his Dad, “I think I flunked the test”. “Son, you cannot be negative”, father responded. “OK, Dad, I am positive that I flunked the test.” Of course this is a joke. We live in a time when sometimes negative and positive can be confusing. Recently, after getting three vaccines (including a booster shot), I started to feel under the weather — I had a runny nose, sore throat, dry cough; typical cold symptoms (no high temperature). After waiting in my car for two hours to get tested, I found out two days later that I tested positive for Covid. A week later, though I felt almost normal, the home test was still positive. It took another three days before the test result was negative. During all that time I did not stop working from home (but I would get tired in the afternoon). Though we are together all the time, my wife Elfa did not have any negative symptoms.

I heard from other people who after all three shots got cold symptoms and tested positive. Nevertheless, I think the worst is over.

When last Sunday afternoon Max took us for a walk at the Great Highway along the ocean, there were hundreds of people, and only a few were wearing masks, and as you are reading, in most of California masks indoors are not currently mandated. Covid created a lot of new realities, but also unleashed creativity as you can see in these three images. My new photo-poetry book, “42 Encounters with Love” is available here.

Enjoy and Share!

Cheers,

Extraordinary Date

Last week, Wednesday, February second, twenty twenty-two or 2.2.2022 was an extraordinary day. This combination will only happen again in two hundred years (of course with one extra two). You can say, “So what?” After all, you are probably reading this on Friday, February 11^th; interestingly, added up together (1+1), also equals two.

I went online to find the various meanings of number 2. “It can be your angel number. Two is usually related to harmony, balance and cooperation. It is also a symbol of adaptability and consideration, faith and relationships.” Sounds interesting and promising. You can find more interesting information about the number 2 at numerology.com. However this time we have four numbers two. “2222 angel number comes into your life to bring changes in almost all aspects in your life, including love life.”

Now I know why I am writing this. My book “42 Encounters with Love”, is ready. Please order it here. To celebrate this extraordinary day, I got up early and drove to Twin Peaks to greet the sunrise. These three images are my encounters with the birth of a new day.

Enjoy and Share!