The Wright Stuff

On October 21st, 1959 (I was nine years old) one of the most significant architectural achievements of the twentieth century opened its doors. The Solomon R. Guggenheim museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has been widely recognized as one of his masterpieces. This iconic edifice is a must-see for every tourist who visits New York. It has long been on my to-do list. I wasn't even particularly interested in viewing its contents; I just wanted to see the building. As I mentioned previously, I had two doctor appointments on Wednesday of last week. They were both in Manhattan.

I'm cultured. Like cottage cheese.

The second one (with Dr. DePalo) was on the Upper East Side. DePalo's office is on 90th and Park; the Guggenheim is on 89th and Fifth. It's maybe a five minute walk, even for someone like me who has to walk relatively slowly or I wind up huffing and puffing. I left the office at 12:30 and had the rest of the day to kill. Typically I take in a movie when I find myself in that situation. Wednesday I went to the Guggenheim. Now, I'll bet you're wondering what this has to do with the theme of this blog, namely my journey from half-deadness back to health. Glad you asked. There are quite a few things in my life that I've been trying to change since my near-death experience. My davening* is different. My apartment is cleaner. I'm giving more charity, I'm holding doors for people, I'm asking old ladies if I can help with their packages. I've become positively Nuchi-esque, and it actually feels good. For the uninitiated, Nuchi is my paradigm for unbridled selflessness. For me, she has always personified goodness and altruism. Her own needs are never her priority; she is generous almost to a fault. Naturally, she makes Chayie nauseous. I also stopped going to therapy. Of course my therapist was against it (I haven't finished paying for her dental implants yet). The argument that finally convinced her that I might actually be able to survive without blabbing to her every week for forty-five minutes was, "I figured out a strategy to change my life for the better: whatever my first instinct is in any given situation, I do the opposite." She absolutely couldn't argue with that one! And I've been sticking to it ever since, and so far it's been working fabulously. But I've wandered rather far from my original point. As mentioned above, I would normally go to the movies with all that extra time on my hands. I went to the Guggenheim. I actually went! Not only that, I really enjoyed it. The paintings too, not just the building. I had never seen real live Picassos, Van Goghs, Gauguins, Monets, Manets and others. Sure, I'd seen pictures and reproductions and prints...they really do pale by comparison to the genuine articles. So the Guggenheim is off my Bucket List**, thanks to a little bug known as Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia. Believe me; it's a wake-up call that's impossible to ignore.







 

* Davening = Praying.

** Bucket List = Derived from the movie of the same name (2007) starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson as two terminally ill men who embark on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket".