guru brahma guru vishnu guru devo maheswara, guru sakshat param brahma tasmai sri guruve namahaTo that teacher that is creation, to that teacher that is this very life, To that teacher that is all challenge and transformation, to that teacher within each of us, To that teacher beyond all things - formless and divine, I bow down and offer my life and efforts.
Last month, my father was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. (who knew!) At a lovely luncheon at the Water Club, my dad was surrounded by family and friends, colleagues from the law, and partners and opponents from the many tennis courts he has played on over the last 60 years. As further evidence of my dad's loyal and gregarious spirit, even his internist, dentist, bankers, and former secretaries were there too.
In his speech, my dad said that he could not quite explain how he arrived at this time and place. He always did what he loved, whether it was his law practice, or the game of tennis, which he took up with great passion at age 18. And he always loved what he did.
Looking around the room, I thought about the seeds my dad had sown to be so successful in life -- not just in terms of material comforts, but in terms of his excellent health, athleticism, and most importantly, the joy and happiness he finds in life. He is in many ways an uncomplicated man with a big smile. Contentment is as much a part of his make-up as his skin or his breath.
His story is familiar but unique too: the son of immigrants who came to the United States with very little, he grew up in Brooklyn raising pigeons on the roof, playing basketball and street hockey with his friends. His group of 5 mischievous boys had a contest to see who could graduate from High School with the lowest GPA. My dad came in second. After high school, he worked on the Brooklyn docks. The work was hard, and so he decided to go to college even though he had no direction. In his second year, he took an aptitude test to try to figure out what to do in life. His guidance counselor said he should become an engineer, but when he found out that meant science and math classes, he decided to do the opposite and become a lawyer. Suddenly my dad found direction. He graduated from Brooklyn Law School in the top of his class and became Editor in Chief of the Brooklyn Law Review. (his friend who had "won" the High School delinquency contest became a professor of astrophysics at Harvard.) He married my mom, volunteered down South during the civil rights movement, went into private practice, and eventually became a plaintiff's lawyer, specializing in securities litigation. He picked up tennis in college and became as passionate about it as he did about the law. His true callings have always been his family, the law, and tennis, in no discernible order!
I have learned so much from my dad. He has always followed his heart with great passion. Despite becoming successful and "marrying up" (my mom's parents were cultured, first generation Americans, and my mom's dad was a lawyer -- my dad's parents were immigrants), the boy from Brooklyn stayed just that. Open always to all people from all walks of life, a defender of social justice and a friend of the underdog, he taught me that anything and everything is possible. He showed by example that being happy and content is our true nature, and that each experience we have is a teacher. He has approached life like a student in a big university, and the challenges he has met as his curriculum and teachers. Always learning, always an adventure.
Thanks dad.
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