All That Matters

With fear and rage all around is in social media and news headlines, Jan urges us to reframe our daily lives by asking a simple question: what's good about today? He provides a few keys as to how to find the good stuff and reminds us of key advice from Anne Frank, the Dalai Lama, and Audrey Hepburn.

How to find hope? Remembrance is a powerful tool. Jan shares the story of the creation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day taking place this week the world over, and how the children of Terezin help us remember darkness as a pathway to light.

"Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another."

Elie Wiesel

In a time of division and the changing of the guard in America, Jan is reminded of a brilliant poem Amanda Gorman wrote for Joe Biden's inauguration four years ago. The words are more powerful tan ever, challenging us to be brave enough to uncover the light in ourselves so needed in difficult times, in our own lives, in that of a country, and of the world.

Are we brave enough to be it?

The devastation of this past week's Southern California wildfires reminds us of the fragility of life. It calls on us to resilience through our compassion and deeds. Jan shares the words of poet Marge Piercy and the power of connectivity and community as a pathway to hope.

Dickinson tells us that,"Hope is a thing with feathers..." As we begin a new year we get to allow this soft bird of hope to take flight within us. How will it manifest? Jan shares a poet's view of new beginnings for 2025.

Louis Armstrong was a true American jazz hero and ambassador of how wonderful life could be. He experienced his share of racism and saw firsthand the inhumanity of antisemitism as well.

Jan shares the personal story of Satchmo's Jewish connection and his choice to wear a Star of David around his neck throughout life.

Did you ever wonder what or who inspired that hit song?

Jan shares the true background behind several popular songs, considering how they grew out of relationships, as well as their aspiration to change. Each one of us is capable of rebuilding ourselves piece by piece, as we end one year and begin another.

Many can feel weighted by pressures, ills, and life's struggles, especially in the darkest time of the year. It is no coincidence that Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa take place at this time with their messages of light.

Jan shares the "rest of the story" of a man, William Ernest Henley who, though ill and struggling much of his life, created a poem of empowerment that has inspired the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson, Nelson Mandela and generations after.

The movie musical has exploded on the scene with its message of how we treat the "other" in society and yet how friends can change us "for good." Jan celebrates the vision of Stephen Schwartz to turn the book into musical before a film, and how each of us can find ourselves, our better selves, in the eyes of a friend.

Four years ago in the midst of the pandemic, Jan started this podcast to share stories that reframe the way we live and look at life. It was a call for positivity in a sea of worries. This is that first podcast, a brief tale of the need to open our eyes and hearts in order to recognize the gifts that are all around us.

Jan's voice has changed ever so slightly, as we all do. But the truth of the tale he shares, remains. Enjoy!