Welcome to Ragbag Mind

I hope you enjoy these scraps and patches of my life

Drawing Down

I’m turning eighty-one in September, and it’s become clear that I have to give up some of the things that have brought me great pleasure over the years. I actually started my renunciations three years ago, when I quit smoking. As any ex-smoker will admit, even after you’ve endured the pangs of withdrawal and find

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The Kindness of Strangers

The Kindness of Strangers On the way back to my apartment building on West 107th Street a couple of days ago, I lost my balance and fell down on the sidewalk. Because of my bad back and double knee replacement surgery, I couldn’t get up. Outsiders think New Yorkers are rude and thoughtless, so wrapped