Phil Wohl

Writing therapy is my form of healing. Try and detach yourself from painful memories by infusing characters and then stepping back.

Growth occurs unabated free of obstacles.

The one general theme I took away from that first week with my new friends, was that everyone had their issues. Life in its simplest form is an attempt to deal with and avoid potential impediments. Some families take dysfunction to lofty heights while other break apart like Oreos mixed in a blender.

Don't ever feel like your best days are behind you. Reinvention is the purest form of hope. Make today your best yet!

Life is funny sometimes. Of course it isn__ as funny as smashing your brand new Mustang convertible into your house and having your life flash before your eyes. Sitting here in my car in the middle of my den, I can't help but think that things could have worked out differently - that could have been happier - that could have lived the life that was meant for me. That was, if I didn't have to keep up with the Greenbergs.

Brad Green, almost overnight, became the poster boy for the common Wall Street tale - proving once again that greed, most definitely, kills. Giving away about 99% of his fortune was also front page news, but Green barely blinked at having to scrape by with only $200 million. The government seized all five of his homes, his three boats, two jets, a helicopter, 14 cars, and all of his assets except the $200 million he stashed for a rainy day in an offshore bank account.

We were sitting outside at our favorite Italian restaurant, Callini__, one Friday lunch when Sam revealed to me what his ideal female looked like. A few women walked by and Sam used words like __ig legs_ and __oo big up top_ to describe women that barely weighed over 100 pounds. The following bomb then pried its way out of his mouth, ____ still in love with Winny Cooper.__ replied with shock in my voice, __inny Cooper from The Wonder Years?__am glowed, __eah, Winny is my ideal woman.___ou do realize that she was a little girl in that show,_ I said trying to awaken Sam__ better judgment.He started laughing, __innie was a babe. I had a huge crush on her.__ needed clarification: __ou do realize that you were in your 20s when that show was on. So, that would mean that you had a crush on a 12 year-old.

As David Zucker watched the casket of his late wife being lowered into the ground, he thought the worst must surely be over and it was time to start the slow healing process to begin life anew.

Gil sat baking in the sun for at least 45 minutes before one of the tour guides noticed him looking listless and leaning to his left side. As she approached him, she noticed that he had a stupid grin on his face.__re you all right, Mr. Cohen?_ she asked as she tried to slowly help him to his feet.His shirt was drenched with sweat and his skin was mostly clammy, signally that he was suffering from the middle stages of heat stroke.__t__ not so bad?_ he muttered as he struggled to stand straight up. __hat not so bad, Mr. Cohen?_ one of the tour guides asked.__eath,_ Gil stated in a glazed response.The guide looked at the heat-stricken man who appeared to have amoment of clarity amidst all of the sweat and dehydration. __hy is death not so bad?_ she pressed on. Gil took a big swig of Gatorade and replied, __ecause life wasn__ so great.

I reached into the pile and pulled out a few connected chips and then was about to shove them into my mouth, when I saw what appeared to be the face of an angel sitting next to me. And, if it was in fact my actual guardian angel, then it probably would have been poor form not to offer a few chips to extend an olive branch.

There is a reason why I am a writer... sometimes it is the only way you can get people to listen to you!