BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE GOOD OLD DAYS ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

By Simon Menkes

One of my all-time favorite works of art is Renoir’s 1880 painting, “Luncheon of the Boating Party”, which shows a colorful, quirky group of Parisian friends enjoying a Sunday afternoon meal on the water. For me, Boating Party always depicted the relaxed, good life with friends. Something that was possible at a slower time 140 years ago.

One Sunday afternoon a few summers back, I met up with my future wife and some of her pals at a local winery in Malibu, and we enjoyed wine-tasting on the back patio. I happened to glance over at another table and saw what looked like a staging of Renoir’s painting. I snapped the photo you see above of some 21st Century friends enjoying wine and conversation. The photo and the painting are amazingly similar.

Since that day, I’ve used this photo to remind myself that “the good old days” are still happening around me right now, just as they were 140 years ago. It’s up to me to find these moments, and when I do, to be fully present in them, enjoying the people, the food, the music – whatever is creating the beauty and feelings of joy for me.

Even with the pandemic burning all around us, threatening our health and limiting our possible activities, I believe it’s still possible to find moments of magic. It’s my choice to stay off my phone and out of the worries that can fly into my head at any moment and for no reason at all and stay fully present to wherever I am. Morning meditation practices have helped me build up my “staying in the now” muscle. Staying present is a practice, not perfection, I remind myself.

140 years after Renoir painted Boating Party, people like you and I are still making beautiful, memorable, moments. Joie de vivre and the art of living are not something that’s been lost in time. Whether we share a relaxing lunch with friends, or ride our mountain bike up and down dirt trails, or even find a quiet corner and read a juicy novel, doesn't matter. We just need to do what we’re doing in a fully-present state of mind, as much as possible.

The Good Old Days are happening all around us right now. It’s just up to us to recognize them and enjoy them.

THIS AUTHOR’S CHARACTERS TALK TO HIM

By Margalit Grunberger

I might have married a crazy man. My husband, Simon Menkes, claims his characters talk to him. Simon’s a novelist and, from the start of our courtship five years ago, he tried to explain to me that his characters speak through him. I know he has a wildly imaginative mind but is this a sign of insanity, creativity, or both? I’m determined to find out and that’s why I decided to interview him.

Characters have been talking to Simon since he was five years old. His first memory is playing with his younger sister, Tammy, where they’d take on the voices and personalities of characters they were imagining. In one of their games, Simon would pretend to be a stuffed animal and Tammy would be a bird they’d seen in a park. “This is something we found ourselves doing and we would do it naturally. We’ve done it all our life,” Simon said.

He describes his writing process as if he’s watching a movie. “I’ll see the movie and then I’ll write what I hear these personalities say.” A Princeton graduate and also a CPA, Simon told me that in his twenties, he acted in a local community theater and came up with a special mental construct. “I didn’t pretend to be this character like other actors. I allowed my character to come into my life; Into my soul and talk through me. I took on the emotions and the characters spoke through me,” Simon explained.

He uses the same process in writing.

In his third novel, Simon upset the three women in his writing group, including his coach, when he vacationing private detective, Cat Montgomery, stepped out of the shower in her luxurious hotel suite and sensuously rubbed lotion all over her body. The female trio insisted that women don’t apply lotion in the sensual way he described. They accused Simon of writing this part from his desire of how he wants a woman to do this, not how it’s actually done. A few of Simon’s female friends disagreed and responded that they do enjoy applying lotion as he described with Cat.

Ultimately, Simon removed this scene because he didn’t want to offend his readers, but he insisted that Cat spoke to him. “I listened to Cat and just wrote what she told me. She was on vacation at this fabulous five-star resort and she was enjoying every moment.”

Simon loves to write. It’s a part of who he is. “I love characters. I love adventures, I love people being brave and screwing up.” As a kid, his characters made him feel less alone and unstuck. When people read his books and hang out with his characters, he hopes they feel more joyful, open to possibilities and less lonely.

I’m relieved. I didn’t marry a crazy man. Simon’s a deeply creative soul who enjoys listening to his characters. Through his stories, he hopes he contributes to a more joyful and alive world. I definitely have a clearer understanding of Simon and his characters and I can’t wait to meet his new friends in his fourth novel.