This was a hard episode to record. Don't get me wrong, talking with David Spinrad, the Rated Rabbi, has always been easy, and in this episode, you get to come along with us on one of our walks where we talk about The Hobby....but it was hard to record, because it was our last walk with our dogs. As you will hear us talk about, David is the reason I got back into The Hobby after a ten year hiatus in 2022. We were just two dads talking about sports, when he told me that he jumped back into The Hobby and asked me whether I used to collect. Back then, I had no clue what grading was. My cards were in shoe boxes in the attic. There was no Instagram account, there was no podcast, there was no YouTube. Times were much simpler back then. But I was craving connection, meaning, I was turning 40. The joke about it being a mid life crisis turned into a half joke, which turned into a stark reality. David was my original, ground level supporter. We would go on these great walks, talking about The Hobby, and I felt so grounded with great conversations. He encouraged me to collect, share, post, connect, because as he says, in the end, we collect ourselves. But on October 6, 2023, I felt like I lost him, and I lost my guide, my mentor...my friend. However, with time passing, we started to go on our walks again, and I missed them so much. And now, we won't have those walks anymore...but our friendship does not end; instead, it enters a new chapter. So this is not a goodbye then, but L'hitraot - until we meet again, good friend. Thank you for your friendship, generosity, curiosity, support, encouragement, and always challenging me to do better.
