Spirited Woman Blogger Team

Guest Blogger - Scott Rozman - What Do You Love About Your Friends?

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin

I am so thankful that I have so many amazing friends. Each one is truly spirited, yet each so very different. I’ve chosen only a few to write about – those deeply in my heart and my thoughts – for their aliveness, uniqueness, and for helping me shape who I am. They are my spirited men and women confidants, sounding boards, and role models. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.

Dorys: We met at Bucknell University, but really grew close years after graduation living down the block from each other. Dorys is yoga classes, walks and talks along Kennedy Boulevard East, and the consistent check-in phone call, reminding me someone cares. She is talking with her hands when she’s excited, phenomenal writing when she gets inspired to pick up a pen, and big, strong hugs. I love her kindness, her pride in a hand-written note over a quick email, and her mojitos and banana pudding. Her voice makes me smile.

Brian:  We met at HBO, both financial guys at the time, although no longer. While he moved to North Carolina, we still see each other often, and talk all the time. Brian is volleyball, the decathlon, and Atlantic City. He’s politics, philosophy, and fun. He’s questions that make you think for days, hearty laughs, and poking and prodding to get a reaction from someone. I love his zest for life, the way he interacts with others, and his player-exterior, teddy-bear interior. His provocative questioning challenges me.

Heather:  We met at the Galaxy gym after her personal trainer introduced us fellow writers. After our second meeting at the same gym, she scurried to her apartment to get me a book about writing. Seven years later we still talk about writing, family, and all the joys of life, the challenges, too. Heather is Writers Group, Starbucks coffee talks, and Christmas Eve with enough food to feed a packed Broadway house. She is greeting cards about friendship, books about spirituality and writing, and talks about everything. I love her spitfire, take-no-prisoners way, her passion for her story, and her risotto, arugula salad, and coq au vain.   Her words make me aspire.

Guest Blogger - Scott Rozman - Knowledge and Experience Can Never Be Taken Away from You

“I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma.”  - Eartha Kitt

My friend Maureen, a Spirited Woman if there every was one, takes a surprisingly diverse array of classes every month - some are a couple of hours, others go for a few weeks. “What are you taking this month?” I often ask. I’m amazed with her answers. “Global affairs. Lap dancing. Stand-up comedy.” I admire her zeal to learn and even more, her action in learning. She inspires me to grow and to learn…more.

Maureen keeps her mind active with classes such as: From Plato to NATO, Vietnamese language, and Researching Public Records: How to Get Anything on Anybody. She keeps her body active by rowing across the Hudson River from New Jersey to New York, or biking the New York boroughs over potholes and through immigrant neighborhoods.

“Almost everything interests me at some level,” Maureen explained.  “Maybe my safe suburban upbringing motivated me to be an urban explorer. I always seek out new experiences and people with different perspectives so as not to waste my precious time on the planet. No one can take knowledge or experience away from you. That’s why I take so many classes - it's freeing!”

I asked her for some of the classes she’s taken in the past five years. The list includes; How to Marry a Mensch (she’s married), Bicycle Repair, Dance (Chinese Fan and Sword, Hula, West African, Punta, Salsa, Tango, and Cha-Cha), How to Talk to Anyone, Napkin and Towel Folding to make animal shapes, What to do When Your Grown Kids Disappoint (she doesn’t have kids), Political Economics, Genealogy, Digital Camera Tips, Writing for Social Change, Poetry as Architecture, Presenting and Public Speaking, Tai Chi, and Harmonica. This is only a partial list, probably about half - really!  She estimates she also has attended more than 100 lectures or panel discussions in the last 5 years – more than 100!

Guest Blogger - Scott Rozman - My Mom - A Beautiful Caregiver, Mentor, and Best Friend

"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power." - Maya Angelou

I am a Spirited Man thanks to my vivacious mom who now has Alzheimer’s yet still emanates so much love. My mom grabbed life and shook it. She danced until her feet blistered, then danced a few more hours still. Her stunning blonde looks drew the attention of men and women alike, but her greater beauty emanated from the inside, and still does. She was the life of the party, everyone’s favorite cousin, and my best friend.

She was a caregiver her whole life. She wanted to be a doctor or nurse but instead sacrificed career for raising my younger brother, sister, and me.  Homemade meals, bedtime stories, and long talks were daily events that fueled her and revved us. She sewed our clothes, wiped our noses, and encouraged our dreams. Her arms were always open as was her heart.

I am a Spirited Man thanks to my mom’s zest for life. She was adventurous and curious, never saying no to something new. She took me to movies, Broadway shows, and sporting events. She played like a kid and loved like a guru. At Atlantic City or a Caribbean island, she rubbed the dice against her chest and

got the whole crap table cheering. She was not great at hitting a tennis ball, but she’d be the first on the court trying.She laughed, and laughed, and then laughed some more. She still laughs today every time she sees me. I do the same.

After her children were grown my mom cared for her parents and her in-laws who she treated like her own. She was a third daughter to her mother-in-law and was the catalyst that reunited my dad with his biological father. She took care of me when I had cancer and quite simply, saved my life. She’d give me Nupogen shots to boost my immune system when I couldn’t do it myself. She emptied my urine when I couldn’t stand up. She gave me hope when I had none left.

I am a Spirited Man thanks to my mom. She became friends with strangers and knew their life story within minutes. She was curious unlike anyone I’ve ever met. She was adventurous for learning, for traveling, and for every aspect of living. She cared. She shared. She loved, and still does. I am a Spirited Man thanks to my mom, a Spirited Woman like no other!

How would you describe your mom?  I’d love to know.

Scott Rozman, Spirited Man, Guest Blogger www.scottrozman.com

This is Scott's second post in a series of four. Look for his third post next week.

Scott left his International Finance job at HBO after defeating a very rare form of cancer. Realizing the life he was leading was fun but not purposeful, he learned that living a spiritual life was the key to survival. He began a Writers Group and decided to write a book about overcoming challenges and living with purpose: “8 Spiritual Stepping Stones.” He is a certified career/life coach and workshop leader. Scott travels extensively, he's driven cross-country twice, and visited 40 countries. He lives part-time in the NYC area and Europe. 

Guest Blogger - Scott Rozman - Fire Works - How Our Passions Spark Our Creativity, Joy, Lives

“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived?  Find your passion, whatever it may be.  Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.”  - T. Alan Armstrong

My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly eight years ago. Each day she slips away more. My dad was her caretaker and still is in many ways, visiting her daily at her Assisted Living facility. Growing up, they taught me a lot about passion and still do today, even given the circumstances.

They had passion for Las Vegas, Hollywood films, and being the best parents they could be. Their strongest passion was always for each other - it still is today.  My dad would tell me, “Whatever you do, do it with fervor.” My mom communicated the same philosophy by her example. She loved living. She did it with boundless enthusiasm, flair, and emotion. Her passion was contagious – I have it in me too.

I am passionate about food; a green salad with walnuts and cranberries, a red steak with onions and mushrooms, a white fish with butter and cream. I am passionate about deep, meaningful conversation, the type that goes to my core, or makes me consider something anew. I am passionate about exploring – strolls through parks, walks along beaches, and hikes through the mountains. I love visiting new countries and meeting new people. I appreciate songs and singing, including the melody of a car horn in a traffic jam and the singer who sings off-key. I meditate, look people in the eyes, and dance when I feel like it. I am passionate about life.

To me, a Spirited Woman is passionate about life too. I see you dancing in your garden and singing in the shower. Growing and learning in classrooms, but also conscious of lessons your own life has to teach.  Inspiring others. MAKING A DIFFERENCE.  Showing others the way.

What are you passionate about?  I’d love to know.

Scott Rozman, Spirited Man, Guest Blogger Scott Rozman

This is Scott's first post in a series of four. Look for his second post next week.

Scott left his International Finance job at HBO after defeating a very rare form of cancer. Realizing the life he was leading was fun but not purposeful, he learned that living a spiritual life was the key to survival. He began a Writers Group and decided to write a book about overcoming challenges and living with purpose: “8 Spiritual Stepping Stones.” He is a certified career/life coach and workshop leader. Scott travels extensively, he's drivin cross-country twice, and visited 40 countries. He lives part-time in the NYC area and Europe.