LAST YEAR I HAD THE EXTREME PLEASURE OF MEETING SOME VERY INTERESTING PEOPLE. I HAD A YACHT SHOW UP OUT BY MY DOCK AND I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMEBODY ELSE AND I WAS YELLING GARY IS THAT YOU ?? IT WAS A PRIVATE YACHT AND A GUY ANSWERED AND YELLED BACK TO ME, ” NO! BUT GARY TOLD US WE SHOULD COME AND MEET YOU ! THEY MET GARY ON THE ISLAND OF MOOREA, WHICH BY THE WAY IS WHAT WE NAMED OUR DAUGHTER AFTER WE HONEYMOONED ON MOOREA 40 YEARS AGO. GARY AND HIS ADORABLE WIFE WERE ALSO A COUPLE OF YACHTEES THAT HAD PULLED UP TO THE DOCK A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE THAT CAME TO THE DOCK AND SAID…..” WE HEARD YOU PLAYING THE EAGLES! ” HE HAD BEEN A HELICOPTER PILOT FOR 40 YEARS PICKING STRANDED CLIMBERS OFF OF HALF DOME AND ALSO WORKED FISH AND GAME IN NEW MEXICO MONITORING ELK HERDS. HE DIE SOME WORK IN IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN ALSO. SO THEY TOLD THESE 2 GUYS TO COME SEE ME. I INVITED THEM IN. I HAD A DEJA VU WHEN THEY CAME UP ON THE DOCK. EVERYBODY HAS THEM BUT SOMETIMES IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO RECOGNIZE IT FOR WHAT IT IS. I HAVE HAD QUITE A FEW AND IT IS ALWAYS A VERY POSITIVE AND WONDERFUL FEELING. SO I MEET THEM ON THE DOCK AND TALK FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND I INVITED THEM IN. (yes,I was playing some Eagles Music or maybe Grateful Dead at the time). THEY WERE VERY COOL AND INTERESTING GUYS AND WE WERE HANGING OUT AND TALKING ABOUT WHO KNOWS WHAT. THEY WERE BOTH IN “THE BIZ” AND WERE/ARE PRODUCER-DIRECTORS ON SOME VERY WELL KNOWN PROJECTS THAT YOU WOULD IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE. I WILL NOT USE THEIR NAMES BECAUSE THAT JUST WOULD NOT BE COOL. MY WIFE WAS IN PHILADELPHIA VISITING OUR DAUGHTER AND GRAND DAUGHTER AND I WAS HAPPY TO HAVE THE COMPANY. THESE TWO GUYS MADE A REALLY GREAT COUPLE. I ASKED THEM IF THEY HAD BEEN TO THE NEW DIRECTORS GUILD BUILDING IN HOLLYWOOD ? THEY RESPONDED YES AND I EXPLAINED THAT THE BUILDING WAS NAMED AFTER MY WIFE’S GREAT UNCLE, JOSEPH YOUNGERMAN. HE WAS A MENSCH THAT ANNUALLY RENTED PART OF THE MARINA DEL REY YACHT CLUB FOR FAMILY GET TOGETHERS. HE WAS A TOP-OF-THE-LINE GUY AND A OLD SCHOOL SHREINER AND VERY PHILANTHROPIC. HE WROTE A BOOK, ( MY 70 YEARS AT PARAMOUNT STUDIOS AND THE DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA. SO A LITTLE TIME GOES BY AND WE ARE PLANNING WHAT TO MAKE FOR DINNER. ONE OF THE GUYS SAYS THAT I HAVE VISITORS ON THE DOCK. SURE ENOUGH, I WALK OUT THERE AND HERE IS A DINGY ON THE DOCK AND THEY ASK VERY POLITELY IF THEY CAN TIE THEIR DINGY ONTO OUR DOCK. FLASH- ENCORE.. I GET HIT WITH ANOTHER DEJA VU ! THAT STAGGERED ME BUT FELT REALLY GOOD. I JUST SAID TIE IT UP AND COME ON UP TO THE HOUSE ! THEY CAME UP TO THE HOUSE AND WE ALL INTRODUCED OURSELVES. THEY WENT BACK OUT TO THEIR BOAT AND CAME BACK WITH SOME MORE FOOD AND WE FEASTED LIKE IT WAS THANKSGIVING AND IT FELT LIKE WE ALREADY KNEW EACH OTHER. NO DRUGS, I ONLY HAD A COUPLE BEERS BUT THERE IS ALWAYS THAT FLASHBACK RESIDUAL FACTOR. BACK IN THOSE CRAZY YEARS THAT WE ALL WENT THROUGH, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, I WONDER WHAT I WOULD BE LIKE IF I NEVER TOOK DRUGS AT ALL. SOMETIMES I WONDER IF I TOOK TOO MUCH LSD OR NOT ENOUGH ! I MET RAM DASS IN LONG BEACH CA. AT A SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT. I ALSO HITCHHIKED TO THE LAMA FOUNDATION UP ABOVE TAOS, NEW MEXICO. I SAW THE ONION. MET SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE. I WORKED THERE AND “PITCHED IN” BUILDING SOME LOG DWELLINGS. anyway. I’m drifting… THAT TRIP IS WHEN I FOUND MYSELF ” STANDING ON A CORNER IN WINSLOW, ARIZONA WITH NOTHING BUT A BACKPACK AND A PRAYER.. WAITING FOR A RIDE. SO BACK TO THE NEW GUESTS. THEY WERE FROM NEW ZEALAND AND THERE THEY STOOD. IT BECAME PERFECTLY CLEAR TO ME THAT THEY WERE THERE BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY SEEN IT BEFORE IN MY MINDS-EYE. SOME PEOPLE WE CONNECT WITH AND SOME MAYBE NOT SO MUCH. THIS WAS A SPECIAL TIME AND I WAS REALLY LOVING IT. IT WAS ONE OF “THOSE ” moments when all those cosmic tumblers click into place. WITHOUT A DOUBT IN MY MIND! I MUST BE RIGHT BECAUSE THEY HAD A GOOD TIME AND BOTH COUPLES LIKED RAIATEA AND LEFT THEIR YACHTS AT A LOCAL MARINA AND ALL ARE COMING BACK THIS SAILING SEASON. EVERYBODY GOT ALONG AND ALL WERE VERY EASY PEOPLE TO BE WITH. WE STAY IN TOUCH. WE WERE LIKE A FAMILY OF STRANGERS TRAVELING THROUGH LIFE AND INTERSECTING AT A CROSSROADS. I THINK I WAS “STRANGER THAN ANYBODY ELSE”. I MAKE MOST PEOPLE SEEM NORMAL BY CONTRAST. SOMETIMES I THINK PEOPLE JUST TOLERATE ME BECAUSE I AM A “JOKER”. EVERYBODY LIKES TO LAUGH…IF THEY CAN FIND SOMETHING OR SOMEBODY TO LAUGH ABOUT.

AFTER THE NEW ZEALAND COUPLE RETURNED TO NEW ZEALAND THEY E-MAILED ME A MAURI LEGEND. IT IS A PARABLE ABOUT HOW A PERSON NEVER CROSSES THE THE SAME RIVER TWICE BECAUSE RIVERS ARE ALWAYS CHANGING AND PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS CHANGING ALSO. SO EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY CROSS THE SAME RIVER, IT IS NOT REALLY THE SAME RIVER BECAUSE A RIVER IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING JUST AS WE ARE ALWAYS CHANGING. I HAD TO THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A WHILE TO CONTEMPLATE THE REAL MEANING.

AFTER MY STROKE LEFT ME PARTIALLY PARALYZED I REMEMBER THINKING IT WAS THE HARDEST HIT IN THE HEAD I HAD EVER RECEIVED FROM THE “CROQUET KING”. I WAS BEING PUNISHED FOR MY OWN FOOLISHNESS. WHILE I WAS HOSPITALIZED, I WONDERED IF I WAS GOING TO BE “TRAPPED” IN THIS CRIPPLED BODY. I LEARNED FROM MY ADMONISHMENT AND VOWED TO BE A BETTER PERSON. A NEW” CHANGED PERSON”. THE KIWI’S E-MAILED ME THIS PARABLE AND IT WAS MANNA FROM HEAVEN. IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT WE ARE ALL TRAPPED IN OUR BODIES AND OUR BODIES ARE ONLY VEHICLES THAT ALLOW US TO TRAVEL AROUND IN THIS THE PHYSICAL WORLD. WE ARE ALL “SWIMMING ” IN A RIVER OF TIME. TIME IS A LIVING ENTITY THAT FLOWS THROUGH US AS WE FLOW THROUGH TIME. TIME IS ALWAYS CHANGING, WE ARE ALWAYS CHANGING. THE UNIVERSE IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING. WE WILL ALL ONE DAY SURRENDER OUR PHYSICAL BODIES . FAITH IS AN EXPRESSION OF WHAT WE BELIEVE WILL HAPPEN AFTER OUR BODY, “OUR “VEHICLE” TAKES IT’S LAST LAP.

THERE ARE MANY RELIGIONS BUT MOST HAVE SOME BELIEF / INTERPRETATION OF WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE DIE. I BELIEVE THERE IS A COMMON CONNECTIVE THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGH TIME AND HUMANITY. WE ARE ALL TRAVELING THE SAME RIVER OF LIFE. I BELIEVE THAT MYSTICAL, SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES ARE VERY COMMON YET SELDOM EXPRESSED. NOBODY WANTS TO BE LABELED A WACKO. YET I BELIEVE IT IS THOSE MYSTICAL, MAGICAL EXPERIENCES THAT ALLOW US TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP IN OUR SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION. I MEAN THAT LITERALLY. I ALSO BELIEVE THAT THOSE SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES ARE LIKE A MATRIX OF INTERCONNECTIONS THAT ALLOW US TO INTERACT WITH LIKE MINDED INDIVIDUALS TRAVELING THOUGH THIS COMMON RIVER OF TIME. AFTER ALL, IT IS THE BONDING WITH LIKE MINDED PEOPLE THAT MOVES THE WORLD AND HAS ALWAYS MOVED THE WORLD. IT IS THOSE “AWAKE” PEOPLE THAT GIVE ME HOPE FOR HUMANITY. IN 3 DAYS I WILL HAVE LIVED HERE FOR 2 YEARS STRAIGHT. I LIVE ON A LITTLE DOT IN THE PACIFIC. I AM A CHANGED PERSON, I WATCH THE NEWS. I AM NOT THE SAME MAN AS I WAS WHEN I ARRIVED HERE. I AM NOT THE MAN I WAS YESTERDAY. WE ARE ALL LIKE LITTLE MINNOWS SWIMMING IN THIS BIG RIVER OF TIME. FISH SCHOOL TOGETHER IN TIME OF THREAT AND SO DO PEOPLE. IF HUMANITY IS ABLE TO SAVE IT’S SELF FROM IT’S SELF, IT WILL BE BECAUSE OF PEOPLE THAT CARE MORE ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES THEN THEMSELVES. WE ARE ONE FAMILY. WE ARE THE FAMILY OF HUMANITY. I HAVE FAITH THAT WE TOGETHER CAN RESOLVE OUR PLANETARY PROBLEMS AND USHER IN A NEW ERA OF PEACE AND TOLERANCE. WE CAN ALL START BY JUST TRYING TO BE BETTER PEOPLE. I AM TRYING TO BE A BETTER PERSON BY SHARING MY THOUGHTS AND PERSPECTIVE ON:

THE RIVER OF TIME…. and HUMANITY thank you!

marc