#235 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday December 30)
Good morning,
HAVE WE CONTRIBUTED OUR “ONE GREAT THING?”
I’ve been thinking about a crossword I did the other day. In many crosswords there is a theme. In this one, the theme answer was the saying, “That’s all she wrote.” The answers that fit the theme were the names of female authors who had only one notable novel to their name. These were Sylvia Plath (The Bell Jar), Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights) and Anna Sewell (Black Beauty).
A few days later I was listening to an excerpt from The Music Man. This extraordinary musical, written by Meredith Willson, was the pinnacle of his career—his one “magnum opus.” Nothing else came close. He did go on to write The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which was a decent musical (the movie version starred Debbie Reynolds and the great Baritone, Harve Presnell) and the unwatchable 1491. But his best days were behind him with The Music Man.
And this got me thinking about the works of Sheldon Harnick. “Who is Sheldon Harnick?” you may ask. Besides being married briefly (only a year…) to the great Elaine May (remember her in The New Leaf Walter Matthau?), he collaborated with Jerry Bock, writing the lyrics for Fiddler on the Roof, and the lesser-known Pulitzer Prize winning Fiorello! Later he wrote The Rothschilds, for which Hal Linden (Barney Miller) won a Tony. The Rothschilds is the only musical featuring a singing Prince Metternich, but that’s another story. The point is that Harnick never achieved the same success as he did with Fiddler.
All of this is a roundabout way of asking:
§ What if we are all “one hit wonders”? Or no hits at all? What if, when we look back on our accomplishments, it is a blur of hard work to provide for our families and in our small way to the production and delivery of goods and services? I would maintain that perhaps “one hit” is good enough.
§ What if the ONE thing we are most to be known for—our greatest contribution to the world—already has occurred? Maybe we’ve shot our wad—and maybe that’s okay.
§ Finally, particularly for those of us Baby Boomers, in thinking about our “greatest hits,” what will be our “third act” in life? I. believe we increasingly should be focused on mentorship, empowerment of others, advising and educating, and sharing the wisdom accumulated from years of experience.
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM POPE FRANCIS
Amidst all the craziness of our times, simple observations about fraternity and compassion:
“Our world is being torn apart by wars and violence, and wounded by a widespread individualism which divides human beings, setting them against one another as they pursue their own well-being. In various countries, conflicts and old divisions from the past are re-emerging. I especially ask Christians in communities throughout the world to offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternal communion. Let everyone admire how you care for one another, and how you encourage and accompany one another.”
THE BRADLEY SONNENBERG LEGACY FUND
Several readers have asked how they can help support initiatives in the mental health area. If you want to help, we have established the Bradley Sonnenberg Legacy Fund, which provides grants each year to various initiatives that address mental health in teens and young adults. Below is the link to the fund, if you are inclined to participate (and you can still get that tax write-off in 2021!):
https://bradleysonnenberg.jewishfoundationla.org
Happy new year (although I’ll say it again on the first!),
Glenn
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