We're Only as Good as the Way We Treat Each Other

Why Mobster Neil Eisner lent his hand and heart to helping Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Neil and his wife Sherri at the Przemysl, Poland train station just outside Ukraine, August 2023. (Neil Eisner)

Today’s Hemingway is Neil Eisner, a Cincinnati expat now living in Florida.

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Good mornin’ Mobsters.  Let’s start with the obvious, nothing clever here, but must be said.  As an avid long-term reader of TML, never in a million years did I see myself as a guest scribe.  It is one heck of a glorious honor bestowed upon me by our fearless leader Doc.  Thank you!!!

What got me here?  I call your attention to Doc’s Stick to Sports segment last week.  His concluding line, “That ain’t the America I want to live in,” struck a chord for me.  Let’s throw in the philosophy espoused by a favorite well-known character, cold case detective Harry Bosch.  Recall what drives him?  “Everybody matters, or no one matters.”

Neil, you’re rambling. Can you please connect the dots?

Here’s a big way Bosch speaks to me.  We change the world one life at a time.  And how did Doc’s line speak to me?  It prompts the question, what about the world I want to live in can I personally do something about, with guaranteed results?

We are social creatures by nature. We are defined by the company we keep.  I can’t fix the world’s big problems on my own.   What I can control  is my little speck of the world within it.  And who I include. 

To some extent, we choose what we do with our time.  How we choose to spend that time is a big first step toward changing that little piece of the world each of us lives in.

Like Doc, I have bigger chunks of time available than I used to have.  While not a news junkie, I keep up with the news in general, like many.  Watching the tragedy of the refugees spilling out of Ukraine into Poland by the hundreds of thousands tugged at my heart.  Even more, the flood of workers and aid coming to their rescue from around the world.  I thought, now I have the time, I can do this, too.

You’re telling me I need to go to Ukraine now, Neil?

Absolutely not!  It’s just my story, my example.

I embedded myself into a few relief organizations operating inside Poland to assist the Ukrainian refugees (Side note – we prefer to call them “guests”; it’s a nice feelgood all the way around.)  I’ve participated in a medical relief mission as well as what I would call a “general assistance with life” mission.  

A small sampling of what I did:

• Vision screenings to help an eye doctor prescribe glasses for those who ran from the bombs and even forgot their glasses.

• Driving displaced families from the Polish border to longer term shelters elsewhere in Europe (my rental car company couldn’t have been happy with me)

• Getting someone a place to stay for a night or two.

• Lots and lots of “heavy lifting” in the train station, suitcases and strollers galore (my fitness tracker loved me!)

• Helping navigate the airport and its “rules” for those who have never flown.

Here’s what happened:

I served alongside many with hearts way bigger than mine.  Those who found a way to put their personal responsibilities on hold and at great financial sacrifice. Because of the empathy they felt toward those whose problems were far bigger than their own. (I had never appreciated that such people really do exist!)

I also met current and ex-Russian citizens who organized shortly after the war started to help the Ukrainians.  They have taken a stand against their own country and in many cases left other family members behind  to do right.  They cannot go back. Who knows what risks they and their families are under. 

I’ve created new bonds and enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined.  I have sincerely-held invites to visit cities throughout Ukraine once those I helped can return home after the war. 

And what I learned:

Even the simplest help provides hope to others when the cruelties of life hasver taken it away.  My little speck of the world changed in ways I could not have anticipated.  We do good, we experience good, we feel good about it, it’s a win-win for all.

Each of us is passionate about something.  If you haven’t done so already, do a little soul searching to identify what that is.  Carve out a little of the “free” time you have and get involved.  You don’t have to go far or spend nearly the time I did to make someone else’s life better and improve the world you choose to live in.

Are those I’m helping better for it?  Am I more content with the world I choose to live in? Are my circle and I better off with the new additions to it?  Absolutely, it’s wonderful medicine for the soul!  I say, try it, you’ll like it!

Are you surprised to learn that I am returning to Poland soon?

TUNES O’ THE DAY:  This year is the 50^th anniversary of the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, featuring the Band, the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers.  Pick your favorite tune among those bands, it’s your personalized Tune of the Day!

AND NOW. . .

HEY MICHELLE (!) helps you ease the sadness of summer’s end.

Modern English ~ Hey 80’s lets go! Playing Friday at Ludow Garage 8:30 

Loveland Art Festival ~ Saturday 11-4 Whistle Stop Clay Works 119 Harrison Ave. 60 artists and live music 

Ohio Renaissance Festival ~ Sat through Oct 29th every weekend 10:30-7pm .. 50 shows, 153 daily performances, 22 stages, 166 shoppes in 9 weekends! 10542 E St Rt 73 Waynesville, Oh 

Lunken Airport Days ~ Sat & Sun at noon check out classic cars, military vehicles, helicopter rides and the warbird experience, B-29 “Doc” and Kestrel Aviation’s T-6 Texan will be offering rides (they sell out quickly so book now)

Rotary Heritage Days ~ Saturday -Monday  Go hit up the quaint and awesome town of Augusta, KY. Go tour the Augusta Distillery, grab dinner at the Beehive, enjoy vendors, petting zoo, music, frog derby and more. 

Westside Market ~ Saturday 10-3 at Westwood Town Hall food, shopping and more!

Blue Ash Symphony Orchestra ~ Sunday 7pm Blue Ash Park Free fun event celebrating America’s greatest composers 

Kings of Late Night .. Comedy Night ~ Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, Arsenio Hall Saturday shows at 6:00 & 9:15 at the Hard Rock Casino 

Western&Southern/WEBN Labor Day Fireworks ~ Sunday all the fun all day! Serpentine Wall, A couple places at Newport on the Levee are having all inclusive parties with a view! 16 Lots Southern Outpost and Amador are hosting or just the Levee itself is a perfect spot. Boom on the Bridge (Purple People Bridge) is another great spot and Mt. Echo is having River Fest West for a different view.  

LPGA at Kenwood C.C ~ Starts Wednesday come for a day or everyday and watch these powerhouse girls show us how’s it’s done! I’ll be working so look for me :) 

Hey Michelle,

Do you want to know where to eat, drink and have fun in Cincinnati? Follow me @HeyMichelle1 on IG

IMBIBER DAVE Gets Big Blue-d in Lexington

Had a lot of fun imbibing for a friends 40th this week in Lexington, and thankfully we spent the majority of our time outside on the golf course.

I didn’t play much golf until after I graduated from UK, so playing Big Blue at The University Club, Connemara, and Kearney Hills were all new experiences. All of these courses were in fantastic shape, beautiful and challenging, and they are priced far better than comparable courses here in Cincinnati. And most importantly, they weren’t overly crowded.

We had perfect weather, and a few cocktails while making a loop.

Afterward, we headed to the Distillery district near downtown, which reminds me of a larger Mad Tree facility with more restaurants and breweries, and tons of outdoor seating along the river.

They have Goodfellas pizza, the same brand as Cincy, so that was clearly the right answer along with the standards like Country Boy and West Sixth Brewing. But what kept us coming back were the options at Ethereal Brewing, particularly their Throwback Pilsner.

I’ll keep you posted when I start my charter trip in the spring, pair this with the bourbon trail and it’s a no-brainer weekend.

Cheers!
cincybeerguydave@gmail.com

HEAD MOBSTER THOUGHTS ON REDS ACQUISITIONS of Bader and Renfroe. . .

Congrats with a Roger Maris-sized asterisk.

It was nice to see the Club do something. And it wasn’t Nick Krall’s fault the Guardians took advantage of their better waiver position to buy three pitchers before the Reds could decide to buy one or more of them. I’m guessing the Big Man would have spent the money.

I do wonder how much use the team will get from the $2.7 mil spent on two outfielders who haven’t hit. Hader and Renfroe are upgrades from Hopkins and Fairchild. Are they better than Friedl, Benson and Fraley?

Bader’s a very good CF. So is Friedl. Bader has very good speed. The Reds weren’t lacking for speed. Bader’s got a .643 OPS. (Fairchild checks in at .711.) Bader hit .202 in August, in 97 plate appearances.

Renfroe has 19 homers, but only two since July 5. His August BA was .193, with an OPS of .590.

Props to The Club for giving it the ol’ college try. But this is the big leagues.

TAKING NEIL’S ADVICE. . . My two favorite tunes, ever, are (1) Blue Sky and (2) Gimme Shelter. Here’s the former, with this all-time wonderful lyric, appropriate today:

Early mornin’ sunshine tells me all I need to know