As I pushed my cart in the Frozen Food aisle of Whole Foods, I saw a young boy pull open the door to select his favorite ice cream.  Then I witnessed him open and close the same door exactly nine times before he was able to reach in and select a pint of vanilla.  After he made his choice, he then again opened and closed the door nine times.  He proceeded to twitch a little as he walked back to the cart to deposit his ice cream.  Many of the other patrons seemed baffled by the boy’s behavior, and some even looked annoyed.  But I immediately recognized what his issue was.  His mom was standing nearby, allowing him to go through his routine.  I cautiously approached her, said hello, and asked if her son suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome.   She said yes, along with tic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, etc.  The mom was very candid and open about her son’s struggles, but as we spoke I began to feel her asking herself the question, “Why is this bozo so interested in my son’s plight”?  Before she could ask her question to me, she must have recognized a twitch or two, noticed the way my shopping cart had been organized, and surmised the reason for my curiosity.  Without inquiring about any condition I may have, she introduced me to Noah, her 11 year old son. He was a very bright and sensitive boy, and much more adjusted than I was at his age.  He explained to me through various twitches and grunts that his friends and teachers are sensitive to his condition, and he is even able to laugh at it himself.  He had a wonderful happiness to him.  Noah also told me that he was allowed extra time for tests at school.  I thought to myself, Wow, have we come a long way since I was a kid.  But my frustration turned to appreciation as it felt like our society had turned the corner regarding Tourette’s and other compulsive disorders.

            As we parted ways, Noah waved good-bye and his mom thanked me for my thoughts.  It turned out I was the first person she ever had spoken to over 40 who suffered with some of the same problems as her son had.  She mostly had interacted with young kids and their families who shared stories about what each day with Tourette’s, Tic Disorder or OCD was like.  I call them “A Day in the Life Stories”.  As I tell my wife, it is difficult to know what a day with these disorders is like unless you experience it. The constant cleaning, organizing, twitching, grunting, worrying, and anxiety can just wear you out.  Each individual’s condition can manifest in different ways.  My pal Noah must do things 9 times, including brush his teeth, click his fork before he picks up a piece of food, and as you heard, open and close doors.  Others may look back at their car multiple times to ensure that their lights are off.  Some may be at a restaurant and obsess over whether or not they turned the stove or oven off, even if they hadn’t used either for days.  Whatever the symptoms, it is not fun.  I would share some of my issues but there are not enough trees in the Pacific Northwest to cut down to make the paper I would need to make a list. 

            The truth, we who suffer with these conditions must face is there may never be a cure.  But that is fine.  We must learn to cope.  It has made me a stronger and, ironically, more appreciative person.  Unfortunately, I have met young people who will never see their 10th birthday, and they are strong and courageous fighters.  They press on, making the best out of each day.  What a terrific lesson.  To squeeze out each wonderful moment from each day and from each experience, and to appreciate the opportunity to do so. 

            As I told my new buddy Noah, the big guy upstairs must love those who have Tourettes and Tic disorders because he made us all so smart and good looking.  He agreed.  Then we shook hands on it, nine times.

         World Elephant Day is August 12, 2015.  Since the logo for this website is an elephant, you can surmise how much I love, admire and respect them.  As  an extremely proud and long time member of the Wildlife Conservation Society, I was thrilled to learn that recently President Obama introduced a proposal to ban ivory sales in the U.S.  Regrettably, the U.S. is the second-largest market for ivory in the world, behind China (and China has just instituted a one-year ban on ivory imports).  Once enacted, this ban will close loopholes that have allowed smugglers to disguise ivory from recently killed elephants and sell them as antiques in the U.S.  Hopefully, this will send a clear message that America is serious about shutting down the ivory trade and saving elephants.  President Obama’s proposed ban was largely the result of the work done by the members of the 96 Elephants Campaign, a movement to educate the world about the many dangers faced by elephants in their natural habitat.  It is estimated that 96 elephants are killed in Africa each day.

            Unfortunately, elephants, the largest land mammals in the world, are endangered.  As the human footprint has grown larger, elephant habitats have shrunk. They have been converted into farmland or deforested as industrial logging and mining spreads, and as roads and settlements encroach deeper into the forest.  Poachers kill elephants for their ivory and meat. They kill approximately 35,000 elephants annually to feed the global demand for ivory.  The poaching crisis does not exist in a vacuum.  The Executive Vice President of the Wildlife Conservation Society, John Calvelli, has said that U.S. lawmakers are beginning to understand how the poaching crisis is impacting not just wildlife, but security, diplomacy, development and conservation as well. The slaughter of the dwindling elephant herds in Africa grows worse by the year as organized criminals get rich from selling ivory in lucrative black markets around the world.  The number of African elephants have been reduced in less than a century from several million to an estimated 350,000 - 500,000.  It is possible that one subspecies, the African forest elephant, could become extinct in the next decade. 

            So on World Elephant Day, I am not asking anyone to forget about the crises faced by so many people.  We should all contribute what we can to any worthwhile and honest charity that aims to help the terminally ill, the aged, those who can no longer take care of themselves, our military, and especially our sick children.  All great causes deserving of our care, attention and money.  I am merely pointing out that these majestic animals are in serious trouble.  I am imploring us not to live in a world devoid of these beautiful creatures. 

            Elephants have a variety of wonderful traits.  They are gregarious and form small family groups.  Several interrelated family groups may inhabit an area and know each other well.  When they meet at watering holes and feeding places, they greet each other with affection (I can’t get my neighbors to do this).  They communicate with one another at distances of five or six miles.  Elephants are very attentive mothers, and because most elephant behavior has to be learned, they keep their offspring with them for many years.  Elephants possess a high level of intelligence, are very social, are part of a complex social structure and have complex social behavior.  They show concern for members of their families, take care of weak or injured members and grieve.  When a member of the herd dies, they cover the body with grass and dirt and stay near the site for several hours.  I would like us all to be aware of their beauty, as well as their possible extinction.  Hopefully we will be the generation that helped elephants propagate, and not the generation that allowed their extinction on our watch.  “Animals” who possess the traits that I mentioned should be cherished, as they are all too “human”.