Like Rona, I thought that this topic was going to be a cinch but in the end, I don’t think it is. What makes one person happy may be vastly different from what brings a smile to another. Sure, there are probably themes but when you dig down deep, where does happiness really come from for you?

"Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile."   He's Gone -The Grateful Dead   It was a mild winter afternoon on December 22, 1992 when my secretary buzzed me and said there was a detective from Boca Raton, Florida on the telephone.  I was confused.  I thought it might be a PBA solicitation and hesitated, but then took the call.  

Drone strikes have been around since the first recorded use of one in 1849 when the Austrians used pilotless balloons against revolutinary citizens in Venice. However, since 9/11 we have used drones to kill suspected terrorists in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries.  

For as long as Gotham has had softball teams (Batmen and Bombers) I have pitched for one or the other. However, I was forced to retire this Winter due to chronic hip and back pain. I became the non playing Manager of the Batmen, but never scratched the itch or exorcised the dream to return to the pitching mound.

Unfortunately, for me, there is no comic relief. I am looking for it, but can’t find it. I remember them --  Whoopi, Billy and Robin --at Shea Stadium in their Comic Relief T Shirts, putting a smile on every face in the place. But the memory, or a You Tube video, won't bring a smile to my face. Not now, not yet, maybe someday. The old clips only emphasize the tragedy and punctuate the loss. I had the same feeling watching Philip Seymour Hoffman in “A Most Wanted Man”. No relief, only loss.

The bloggers had discussed doing a blog on happiness.  I don't know if I'm kicking off the week with it, or if this isn't exactly what we had in mind, but yesterday's tragedy involving Robin Williams certainly seemed to relate to the topic.

In my humble opinion, Robin Williams was one of the most talented human beings to have ever lived. You may disagree but a stroll down the long list of his accomplishments I believe supports my premise