11: Serendipity: A Paradigm Shifter’s Friend in Academia

My grade school years in Brooklyn, New York were punctuated by frequent visits to my grandparents’ home, a short bike ride away. This scene often repeated itself:

“Grandma, where’s grandpa?” I question as I hurry into the kitchen, dropping my sweater at the door.

Smiling she replies, “Grandpa gay learnen” (went to the synagogue to study the Torah).

I begin digging in my coat pockets looking for spare change to drop in the pushkees (small metal charity boxes) that line the wall next to the kitchen door. As my hand emerges with only a few pennies, I look disappointed but drop them into the closest container. As I settle in, I hear the door opening behind me. “Grandpa, you’re back!” I exclaim.