An Early Spring – What’s Not To Like?

Early suffering from Pollen Allergy, That’s What It Is

You can’t help but notice that this year’s spring came strangely early; or some may argue we simply had a winter that wasn’t. It was before mid-March when the temperature had already snuck into the seventies here in the northeast. Well, the brilliant performance of the weather this early part of 2012 sure would make Al Gore proud.

Mother Nature never bothers with the calendar. As soon as there is a hint of warming up, everything gets rolling. The earthworms tunnel their way out from underneath the never-frozen ground, attracting some hungry robins that are planning where to build their new nest, at the same time trying to fight off those ever aggressive blue jays, all the while being watched indifferently in the pine trees by the majestic cardinals. Those Knock-out Roses and Japanese Willows that my wife and I put in last May shoot out overnight and are growing like a teen-aged boy’s hair. Before April comes calling, I’ve already built a new shed by the fence.

It is green all around; and so many flowers are already in full bloom without the benefit of the customary April showers. The outdoors turn so beautiful, you can smell life in the air.

“Bob, the Walker”, as affectionately called by my kids because this retiree walks all over the neighborhood year round for exercise, comes along and chats it up with his thick southern accent: “What a beautiful day!”

 

“Yeah! Got to enjoy it!” I nodded whole-heartedly agreeing. 

Ah, an early spring, what’s not to like?  Until my eyes start itching. Then the reality hits me: You’re going to suffer from your annual pollen allergy much earlier this year, and most likely for longer. 

Pollen allergy is no laughing matter. More than forty percent of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. For some, it is just nuisance that causes little more than runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and itchy and watery eyes. For others, however, it can prove life-threatening.

When my family moved to New Jersey some twenty years ago, we had a weekend barbecue in the backyard and enjoyed a great spring day that you couldn’t have in the city. Our oldest son, Bryant, who then was just about two years old, was so happy and could not stop running around the blooming flowers and thriving trees for hours. But by the time we retired into the house later in the evening, he had started coughing and running a fever. Being young and inexperienced first-time parents, we mistook this as “perhaps just a cold” and did not think much of it until the next day when the doctors’ office opened. 

Bryant had asthma. That was the news delivered by his pediatrician. He gave us a good lecture for not bringing him in right away and, after a brief nebulizer treatment, sent us straight to the hospital. We were stopped by the police en route for obviously speeding. But I did not need to try hard to make my case, and the stone-faced trooper took a look at the wheezing toddler and his teary-eyed mother in the back seat, simply ordered “drive safely” and sent us back on our way.

 

The hospital staff got Bryant stabilized, but not before subjecting his tiny body to countless needles. Every relative who came to visit was heart-broken when they saw this poor little guy, who a day earlier was still a ball of energy, had to be confined to his small oxygen tent.

Bryant had since recovered and even out-grown asthma. He was actually able to earn his Master of Science degree while double majoring within three years at a school of his choice and secure a great job that he desired at a major financial service firm at the bottom of the latest brutal financial crisis. But my wife and I still like to tease him from time to time: Had he not had that episode of asthma attack, he could have been one of those Princeton hot-shots. Who knows?

Timing is everything in dealing with allergy, as I learned from the pediatrician of my younger son, Dusty, who every spring without fail would catch almost everything pollen allergy can possibly throw at you. The doctor told us during a visit that you would have to get medicated to close the door before the pollen comes knocking, or it will become the most annoying guest that is very difficult to get rid of. So for years, the entire allergic population of the family would start taking one of those one-a-day pills on the first day of April in anticipation of the peak of the blooming season that would come on cue in a couple of weeks. This pretreatment, plus shutting all the doors and window and sacrificing the great pleasure of the spring outdoors, has been working as prescribed.

Until this year. Who would have thought spring would show up a whole month early? This unusually early warmth weather, combined with the severe lack of April showers, caught millions of allergy sufferers by surprise and sent them scrambling for prescriptions. However, it is too late for them: Many allergists report that their patients’ symptoms are more severe than the past, likely because they did not have time to pretreat themselves. There is not much they can do about it now except swallowing whatever pills that they think fit, such as Zyrtec or Allegra, and maybe spray their nostrils with some steroid, like Flonase or Nasonex. Or they can pray for rain every day and an early arrival of the next season.

Right now, listening to the sound of Dusty blowing his nose into tissues at night, I can tell you, there is indeed something not to like about an early spring, after all.

9-11, We Remember

We don't need to be reminded

The gray sky chokes with emotion as the air thickens with somber. Two giant American flags hoisted up high by three fire trucks are quietly fluttering in the early autumn morning chill. Down below, dozens of first-response vehicles – fire trucks, ambulances and police squad cars, are all silently flashing their emergency lights. And a SWAT officer in full combat gear guarding the intersection adds to the solemn atmosphere.

It is September 11, 2011. Ten years after the most tragic terrorist attacks on this soil, people gather at the township recreation and community center to re-dedicate the 9-11 memorial site and pay tribute to the innocent lives lost in those most senseless violent acts. Military color guards with flags and weapons surround the memorial site. Firefighters, first aid squad members, and police officers in full uniform stand at attention. There are politicians in crisp suits, grandmas holding hands with little toddlers munching on Goldfish, as well as spiky-haired teenagers wearing sagging shorts. Surviving family members of the victims are asked to sit front and center.

Marlboro, this central Jersey town of 40,000, took its toll on 9-11: fourteen of our fellow residents perished at the original World Trade Center.

There could have been sixteen.

My wife’s older brother and younger sister were both working at the World Trade Center at the time. Big brother normally went in his office at around 7:30 AM, and sis would follow an hour later. But the week before that fateful day, her car window stopped working; and her dad spent two days trying to fix it but to no avail. So the siblings decided to share the ride and carpool to work together for the time being, at the young sister’s normal time. They hit heavy traffic that was much worse than usual. Amid bickering back and forth about whether to stay the course or take an alternate route, they missed the news on the radio. It would be five to nine when they finally reached their parking garage in Jersey City and looked up across the Hudson River. Heavy smoke was already billowing out of One World Trade.

Thinking it might have been just some cafeteria mishap and worrying about being late for work, sis still wanted to rush to catch the Path train, which would take them right under the towers. Fortunately, the older and perhaps wiser big brother thought better of it and dragged her back into the car and started back home. And the rest is history.

Through the years, relaxing in the safe haven of our own homes, we can still get a few chuckles whenever they recount the story. But we also feel the chills: What could’ve happened if the car window was fine? Or big brother was able to convince sis to go in early with him? A broken car window might have changed a large and close-knit family’s life in an unimaginable way. Count ourselves blessed because death was once so close.

But nearly three thousand others were not so lucky that day. They were mostly ordinary people just like your neighbors and friends: Businessmen, office clerks, or restaurant cooks who were there simply to make a living, or tourists who had just come from out of town to admire these magnificent buildings. And don’t forget the most tragic and heroic of all – the first responders, especially those firefighters who rushed up the burning towers while urging others to flee.

Cold rain quietly drizzles down onto the gathering. One by one, family members of the victims recount the life stories of their lost loved ones. There are few dry eyes in the silent crowd.

Amidst military bugle calls, police gun-salutes and the “America the Beautiful” by the Marlboro High School chorus, the black shroud draped over the new memorial centerpiece is slowly lifted, unveiling a 12-foot long steel “I” beam. It had been salvaged from the wreckage at Ground Zero. Through the efforts of Town Councilman Jeff Cantor, a U.S. Army reserve Lt. Colonel who had served in Afghanistan, this steel beam was transported by truck from New York to Marlboro under police escort.

This 12-footer is vertically mounted on a scaled-down model of the twin towers, which stands on a marble base in the shape of a pentagon. The names of the fourteen Marlboro residents who died in the 9-11 attacks, as well as the time of impact of each plane and the total number of lives lost, are chiseled in on its polished sides. The structure is standing tall and safeguarded by the American Flag, the State Flag of New Jersey and the 9-11 Memorial Flag, ensuring that this community will remember our loss for many years to come.

“What we are is a community of neighbors with passion, who care about each other, and it really shows on a day like today,” declares Mayor Jon Hornik as the crowd grows to six hundred strong.

“Know that you have an entire community that stands with you today,” Councilman Cantor reminds friends and family members of the fourteen 9-11 victims as they walk up to the newly erected monument and lovingly place a rose and an American Flag on the base for each of their lost loved ones.

My tween children, who were barely toddlers ten years ago, can understand so much more now. That burly fellow with a thick beard, who cannot hold back his tears, will never forget the pain.

Just outside the memorial, the fire trucks’ air horns roar intermittently throughout the ceremony, marking the exact moments of the horrific attacks and devastation. They are there to remind everyone of this tragedy.

But no, we don’t need to be reminded.

9-11, we remember.

Get a Little Merrier in 2012

Money Spent Right Can Indeed Bring You Happiness

No one argues that money can’t buy happiness, but getting your finances in order would definitely lead you in the right direction towards a sunnier day. 2011 turned out to be another turbulent year, which had witnessed multiple crisis and disasters. Houses were not selling; people were not getting jobs; and the constant worry about money can’t make anyone happy. So shouldn’t we at least get a little break in the brand new 2012, especially when the forecast is still murky? This can be achieved with a few easy small money steps without breaking the bank.

Set up an emergency fund, if you haven’t done so already. A surprise finding from a University of Georgia study of 28,000 Americans: Having a rainy-day fund best predicts financial satisfaction, more so than being credit card debt-free or even owning a home! Experts have been preaching putting up at least three to six times of your monthly income; you may help build up the safety net quicker with some small “windfalls” such as your tax refund or medical flexible spending reimbursements. No matter how it’s done, you will sleep better knowing the money is there even if your roof leaks tomorrow.  

Rid yourself of credit card debt, which is truly an evil monster. The thought of having to pay that 20% interest on top of what you owe will surely make you wince in pain and turn grumpy. And that’s not all – according to a study by Utah state University professor Jeff Dew, newlyweds who had built up a balance of as little as $1,000 were markedly less satisfied with their relationships than those who had none. It may not be practical to put up the cash to pay off the debt right away without causing hardship, so think small, establish a target and stick to it. Before long, you’ll see your debt shrink and perhaps treat your partner a little better.

Switch workplace, if it you don’t feel good there. Your job is where you spend most of waking hours; there is no worse feeling than having to dread going there in the morning, and counting minutes to get out. It could be the job being boring, or your co-worker being nasty. Either way, being depressed from 9 to 5 will just make you sick. Recent government’s job reports are indicating an up-tick in the labor market, and job site StarWire.com found that half of the applicants found a job within a week, while 75% of them got theirs within three.  Make the move now and you may actually be able to come home with a smile.

Make full use of your vacation days. American workers are well known for being workaholic, and leave an average of 6.2 vacation days unused per year, according to on-line travel site Hotwire. In this tough economy where companies are forced to cut cost and improve productivity, employees tend to feel they must keep working extra hours to keep their jobs. But a stressed-out worker would cost two and a half times more in health care alone, not to mention the negative impact on his family life and the company’s productivity. So squeeze in every day you are entitled to. You don’t need to dole out big bucks and take an extravagant trip; a prolonged weekend in which you simply lounge around at home will do. After all, a well rested person is always a happier one.

Indulge yourself a little and often, which beats occasional splurges in creating greater happiness. That’s the result of numerous researches over the years covering a wide variety of everyday activities. You may try years to save up enough money to treat your family to a month-long expedition to the most exotic places in the world, but the excitement can only last so long. Instead, how about going out to dinner one weekend and the movies the next, or stopping by that neat boutique store on your way home to pick up a nice box of imported chocolate for your wife? Little things like these can truly make your life so much more joyous.

Be charitable and help others, which brings your happiness to a whole new level. What feels better than knowing that you’ve helped out someone in need? According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, people who donate to charity are 43% more likely to say they are very happy about their lives than those who don’t. Besides, you don’t always have to give money to help - volunteer your time and expertise. When you watch the young trees growing at your neighborhood park, or see the smiling face of an elderly patient at your local hospital, wouldn’t you feel like a million bucks, too?

We all hope that the economy will bounce back nicely in 2012 so we can see a significant improvement in our financial situation. But before that happens, it’s not all gloom and doom; we can still take small steps with regards to the little money that we have to ensure a better and happier year ahead.