Blog
Gifts from Strangers, Week 19 in the Time of Coronavirus
Jul 19, 2020 by Janet Zinn
I hadn’t anticipated it, but yesterday was an enriching day. It started out hot and humid, and I knew that if I was going to get out, I wasn’t going to be able to move at a clipped pace. I was wary of taking my bike out, believing that the park would be crowded, and I just needed something less populated. So, I ventured out on foot listening to a new book Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala, a Nigerian-American author. It’s beautifully written and the readers are terrific.
My destination was a Cambodian restaurant, the only one in the city. I had read about it but had never visited. I saw that it was closing at the end of the month, and so used it as a...
Being Okay Not Being Okay, Week 18 Blog Post in the Time of Coronavirus
Jul 13, 2020 by Janet Zinn
I am in awe at the speed and dominance my emotions morph during the time of Coronavirus. I am moved to tears by the humanity I witness or hear about. Moments later I am immersed in fury for a perceived injustice. I am in love with my child and husband for their simple kindnesses, and then I am agitated when I turn the corner to see that some arbitrary chore or other wasn’t accomplished. My pettiness is astounding. My gratitude short-lived.
As an observer I find this fascinating. As the subject I find it disconcerting. More and more I’m hearing similar stories of unwielded emotional lability. By the week’s end I am exhausted. Too tired to be social or active. So I am resting more and more. I have found resting...
On my Bike, Week 17 in the Time of Coronavirus
Jul 06, 2020 by Janet Zinn
Each one of us have been impacted by the Coronavirus in a personal way. Some have been ill. Many have been in quarantine. Too many have lost their jobs and income, some of our loved ones have died. And, the weight of the pandemic continues. Friends have been divided based on the level of protection we have chosen. Plans have been cancelled. Supply chains are interrupted. And we have all made appropriate adjustments centered on what is right for us under these circumstances.
I am riding my bicycle more than I have in past years. I like it because once I pass the trafficked streets it’s easy to ride the slow lane in the park. And, as with every activity, I wear my mask, wishing everyone would wear there’s...
Week 15 in the Time of Coronavirus; Diminished Choices
Jun 28, 2020 by Janet Zinn
Summer is here. But it’s not like summers of our past. Vacation options are restricted. Outdoor dining is limited. And sometimes the choices at hand are not terrific. So, what to do? If I can’t make long-term plans, I can think of what may or may not take place on any given day.
Take this morning, for instance. My plan was to walk to Central Park, take a slow run in the shadiest, least crowded spots, then come home to write this blog post. I tried writing yesterday, but I hit a wall in all things productive, and rested more than anything else.
So, earlier today I left later than planned, walked to the park noticing the bustle of Stage 2 of our city opening. I was in turns...
Week 16 in the Time of Coronavirus; Attending to the Mundane
Jun 28, 2020 by Janet Zinn
While social distancing, and quarantining when necessary, I have experienced, as we all have, moments in which we are faced with small but necessary tasks. Cleaning for me is one of those responsibilities that feels great when it’s done, yet I procrastinate getting it done. This weekend I had to defrost my small office freezer. It’s not so difficult as it is annoying. And, even on the annoying scale it’s pretty low, especially when we have to deal with so many annoyances while going through this Covid-19 period. Nonetheless, when the ice trays can’t be removed, and my Tito’s bottle is stuck, both from neglect, as well as frost accumulation, it’s time to take on the mini fridge.
The nice part about it is that I...
When Will This End? Coronavirus Blog 5
Apr 13, 2020 by Janet Zinn
We’ve hunkered down and we’ve stayed the course. We’re tired, we’re unfocused, we’re cranky, and we’re over it. Yet, caring for ourselves and making sure we’re all well is not a one-time deal. I hate that. In all things I prefer to go after something, get it done, appreciate what I’ve accomplished and then, Bam, I can go on to the next thing. Take cleaning. It’s been a great distraction to clean. My office is sparkling. My closets are in order. Yet when I was dressing this morning, I saw that things were not exactly the way they were when I refolded and cleared out my drawers on Friday. And when I got to my office today, I could see...
I Went All the Way
Aug 18, 2019 by Janet Zinn
Sometimes something so simple can be hard. I had the idea of riding my bike on the last Summer Streets on Park Avenue down to the Brooklyn Bridge. I keep my bike in my office. It’s a short folding bike, allowing for both my feet to touch the ground when I stop. It’s in my office so I can get out when the impulse strikes. It rarely strikes. I call myself a wimpy rider since I want to easily touch the ground, and I am not skilled enough to weave in and out of traffic. I will only face the streets to get into Central Park or ride on the East River promenade to Randall’s Island where there are few...
Virtually a Relationship
Jun 26, 2019 by Janet Zinn
Sometimes, as a therapist, it’s hard to leave my work brain at home. While minding my own business, or so I thought, at a local restaurant, I came to observe a young professional sitting at the next table. He was with his colleague. They were engaged in a heated discussion about the merits of outsourcing versus in-house accounting support. Not a conversation that was of any interest to me. At one point, the late-20-something guy next to me, a fit man with dark hair and a trim mustache, and a tailored blue shirt sans jacket, took out his phone and commanded Siri to find a study that supports the cost effectiveness of outsourcing. He had been speaking to his younger colleague,...
My Super Power — janetzinn
Jun 05, 2019 by Janet Zinn
When I was in the fifth grade I had a recurrent dream that I could fly. I was elated that I could soar past the bullies and the teasers. I loved that they had to look up to me in my dream. I soared in the air down Haral Place past the mailbox on […]
via My Super Power — janetzinn
My Super Power
Jun 03, 2019 by Janet Zinn
When I was in the fifth grade I had a recurrent dream that I could fly. I was elated that I could soar past the bullies and the teasers. I loved that they had to look up to me in my dream. I soared in the air down Haral Place past the mailbox on my way to Stafford School. I held onto that dream. It gave me a sense of being special when I felt anything but special.
But the teasing got worse in junior high. Patty Craven howled at me as if I were a dog. She bribed a classmate to ask me out so they could laugh at me. She was cruel, but I took it. I found small...
Love Affair
Feb 04, 2019 by Janet Zinn
Love Affair
I have courted a lover from an early age. The depth of this love only grows with time. There is so much to love. And, daily opportunities abound to enjoy all my lover has to offer. New York City is my first and true love. When I return from a trip, I gasp internally each and every time I see the city skyline, affirming my devotion. (Image from online stock)
I have given up a lot, though it feels like a fair trade-off. I live in a small apartment, one in which our family of three regularly negotiates for space. But our rent is reasonable, for the city, due in large part to rent stabilization laws. This detail allows me to see...
I have courted a lover from an early age. The depth of this love only grows with time. There is so much to love. And, daily opportunities abound to enjoy all my lover has to offer. New York City is my first and true love. When I return from a trip, I gasp internally each and every time I see the city skyline, affirming my devotion. (Image from online stock)
I have given up a lot, though it feels like a fair trade-off. I live in a small apartment, one in which our family of three regularly negotiates for space. But our rent is reasonable, for the city, due in large part to rent stabilization laws. This detail allows me to see...
No, Thank You
Jan 01, 2019 by Janet Zinn
The New Year’s Eve race in Central Park is an iconic run given by New York Roadrunners. It features fireworks at midnight, just as the run begins. I had great plans to participate in the Midnight Run tonight. It started in 1978, but I didn’t hear about until the mid-80’s, when my roommate, Astrid ran it. I thought it was amazing. I wasn’t a runner, so it never occurred to me that I would ever spend my New Year’s eve in the park running. And, yet, a few years ago I did my first run. I ran two more times, starting with my cousin Zena, and then with a friend the next year. Two years ago I was on my own.
It’s...
It’s...
A Show Under the Stars
Sep 04, 2018 by Janet Zinn
It was around 1974. It had to be since it took about four years for my mom to perfect her tennis game. She played every day at the Cherry Hill Tennis Courts. She started out at the free outdoor courts in Kressen Woods, but it didn’t take long for my mom to realize that indoor courts were her best bet. It was winter so playing indoor tennis made sense. On that chilly Wednesday I answered the phone, hopeful that a friend was calling. But it was for my Mom. The rich, low voice on the other end said he was Gladys Knight’s manager and wanted to see if Arlene, my mom, would play mixed doubles with them. I could not believe...
A Trip to Africa
Jul 05, 2018 by Janet Zinn
What can I say about a dream come true? Shall I say that I spent most of my life believing my dreams wouldn’t be fulfilled? I lived much of my early years longing for the things that others had. The thing about my longings is that it kept me out of the loop. There’s an unspoken presumption that it was beyond my reach. Growing up I heard about the trips to Florida my classmates took. I longed to audition for a traveling high school production of Godspell, but had to work, and couldn’t afford to take time off, let alone pay for a ticket to California. I felt left out. Moving to New York in the early 80’s, there were apartments...
Running Again
Apr 23, 2018 by Janet Zinn
I ran my first race in over a year. It was slow process, both recovering from benign injuries, as well as running 15-minute miles this morning. In the past months I went through acupuncture, medical massage and physical therapy putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. So, tentatively, step by step I took on Central Park’s Drive.
What I noticed right away was the throngs who passed me as I inched my way forward. I am no stranger to being left behind. In elementary school I often was picked last in kickball, more for my lack of popularity than for any inability to kick and catch the ball. In junior high school I was not asked to parties. I awkwardly went to school...
I Fell Well
Jan 29, 2018 by Janet Zinn
I missed running, though I never thought I could be a runner. I was a girl who always got a cramp in my side when I tried to run anything more than a 50-yard-dash. In phys. ed. I ran the requisite laps around the gym, but my lungs burned and my midriff always hurt. I was among the last. Not THE last person, but close. And, in my twisted child’s mind, I took solace in that fact. That fact still gives me solace in my twisted adult mind when I slowly run races.
Friday I returned to running. Sometime last winter I got injured running and found myself walking the city for months. Any time I tried to run, much to...
What I lost
Jan 17, 2018 by Janet Zinn
No one tells you how grief feels in the body. The aches and pains and fatigue knead on stressed parts of our anatomy. The lethargy the body takes on is formidable. Clothes must be loose, sounds soft.
My mother died. She was ill, so there were no surprises. She became weaker and weaker until she ceased to be. Death made sense in her case. And, yet, following her death, nothing seems to make sense. I’m losing things: earrings, gloves, documents. I forget. I forget to return emails, phone calls, texts. I forget to look at the lists I write so I won’t forget. I want to watch movies or TV, but it has to be soothing. Nothing aggressive please.
I spent a...
I Was a Suburban Dropout
Oct 02, 2017 by Janet Zinn
As soon as I could I moved to a city filled with misfits. I needed a sense of belonging, and New York provided me with friends and neighbors misunderstood in their former lives. Growing up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey attending a large high school and an affluent Hebrew School felt wrong to me. I yearned to fit in, but felt so different. I imbued my classmates with confidences and affluences they probably didn’t possess at such a young age. I had learned to harbor secrets, while watching acquaintances seemingly share their lives openly. I had to get out.
Yet, returning to attend my 40th High School reunion, it came to my attention that I had missed so much. I saw...
Yet, returning to attend my 40th High School reunion, it came to my attention that I had missed so much. I saw...
One Step in Front of the Other
Sep 05, 2017 by Janet Zinn
When I was 10 years old I was allowed to walk on Haddonfield-Berlin Road, crossing highways entrances and exits to go to The Woodcrest Shopping Center. For a short time they had The Jerry Lewis Movie Theater, and I could get in for 50 cents, the amount of my allowances after chores. Or, I would go to W.T. Grant’s, deemed a twenty-five cent department store, but more of a five and dime. that sold colorful birds, toys, clothes, plastic jewelry, and featured a lunch counter. I was much too shy to go to the counter alone. But I loved getting lost in the aisles ending up with some sort of sweet. There was also Crest Lanes where I could bowl....
Free Shakespeare in the Park
Jul 31, 2017 by Janet Zinn
On a sweltering Tuesday in August, in my first full summer as a New York City resident, I was nervous and excited about the prospect of obtaining free tickets to A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. The day in 1982 was hazy, and the great lawn was full of picnickers all with numbers for a place in line. I was number 26. I had gotten there so early, maybe 7 AM to ensure my audience participation. And, I was far from the first one in line. But with a coffee and an H&H bagel for breakfast, I felt well-prepared. Hour after hour of baking in the sun, I was a lucky recipient of two tickets...
