Ezra’s Nugget: “Don’t take life too seriously”

By PenTales Pundit Elise Nardin, Zurich, Switzerland

We here at PenTales are realizing that the dirty secret behind our love of stories is that we need help. Yes, stories are sometimes nothing more than like a visit to an old wise friend or a dose of prozac or just a mean reality check. In other words, the stories from friends and strangers are powerful to us because they sometimes have nuggets of wisdom that can better equip us with tools to tackle life challenges.

So, with that in mind, we are directing our focus a bit more on the person behind the stories we’ve been reading and listening to over the past two years. We asked our contributors from around the world to answer five questions that we believe teach us more about them and ourselves. We will feature two sets of answers each week.

To kick off , we’re to introduce you to PenTales Washington Heights Instigator Ezra Wolkenfeld. Ezra is the type of guy who is idealistic in the best of ways: He rolls up his sleeves and gets to work, all the while smiling up and thinking of all the possibilities ahead.

Share your life lesson with us! We could all use a little help here.

1. Who is your hero and why?

Well it would be nearly impossible to pick just one hero but if I had to, I guess I would say it was….a tie between Spiderman (for fighting crime AND having a great cheesy sense of humor) and any bus driver/train conductor who waits the extra minute for me to catch up/get on; they make the world a good place.

2. What was your dream job when you were a child?

Another tough one, I don’t think I ever settled on one. I think I just dreamed of doing it all, with no real picture of what “all” included or entailed. I just knew it couldn’t involve writing in cursive.

3. Is there any motto you follow? What’s something that you think always holds true?

Hmm, absolutes are tricky, but I’ve always liked “don’t take life too seriously,” I think its important to appreciate the lighter side of things. OOh and I just read a good one on a tea-bag: “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.”

4.What’s something your parents told you that turned out to be right?

Better Safe Than Sorry

5. Give some advice to someone 10 years younger.

Appreciate your own strengths and try to learn from those of others, and do what makes you happy.