Come For Lunch, Stay For Dinner

I’ve spent a good deal of time this past week in that strange space between writer’s block and overwhelm.

This kind of stuff used to lay me low.

It still does, if (and when) I hand it off to my ego.

The ripening that happens with age has taught me that, when the waves come in, I’ve got a choice of whether to grab a surfboard, sit on the beach or swim out just far enough to get pummeled by the break…

This week, thank you very much, it’s gonna be the beach!

And speaking of beaches, I’m going to say a word or two about Leonid Frolov, then I’m going to set y’all loose on this week’s podcast.

Because Leonid tells his own story much better than I ever could!

I met Leonid in a bar/restaurant beneath a hotel that – no kidding – used to be a property held by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. It was one of the joints Moon used to host his mass wedding ceremonies.

On the top floor, overlooking the Pentagon, the Potomac and the National Mall, there was a rather opulent bathroom that still had a toilet with a working seat-heater.

(The provenance of the building, to say nothing of the seat-heater, has absolutely nothing to do with where I’m taking you, but why would anyone ever miss an opportunity to share about Sun Myung Moon’s toasty throne?)

Back to Leonid…

He’d been invited by my work colleague, Wendy, to join us at Rev. Moon’s palace o’ love for a late lunch and drinks after our long day of training. Fittingly enough, Wendy assured me I’d love Leonid and, hours later, having stayed for lunch, drinks and then joined us for dinner at a local Indian restaurant, she was proven right.

I have yet to meet a single human being capable of not falling in love with Leonid.

I double-dog dare you to be the first.

The man’s story, from growing up in Soviet Russia to getting lost in the mountains to being forcibly institutionalized to accidentally landing a 27-year job, has enough twists and turns, drama and comedy, magic – a ton of magic – and vivid imagery to be the envy of the very best imaginations ever to grace Hollywood.

Grab a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, a smoky dram of single-malt or some water, a comfy chair and a headset and give a listen to part 1 of “From Russia with Love, Heart and a Whole Lot of Resilience.”

Enjoy!