Notice how every pundit, politico and persona-non-grata in my universe droning on each nanosecond about how “the human race is falling on its face and hasn’t very far to go?” (You already KNOW I am the world’s biggest CORNBALL so why shouldn’t I steal a line from “South Pacific?”) But after this weekend’s wonders I have bullet-proof evidence that we shouldn’t “believe in frettin’ and grievin’”! Take two economic blues-busters: Steve Tyrell and Dick Van Dyke. 
On Friday night a playful posse of peers and I travelled all of 8 minutes south (by car no less) and landed at the hippest new hot spot in this neck of the woods! Namely, Club M at the Grand Del Mar! We surely have come a long way from the times when the best we could do on a Friday night was Marie Callendar’s for rhubarb pie (Gee whiz Aunt Bee, I have mine “a la mode” of course…)! Now we can mosie a few miles on the back roads, toss our keys at an appropriately-buff valet, and enter a world where one would swear was smack in the middle of Manhattan!
After a predictable delay (allowing for the appropriate purchase and consumption of libations…) Steve Tyrell strolled out as cool as a cucumber and proceeded to sing and swing his way into everyone’s hearts! In case you are not familiar with Steve Tyrell, he is that sexy smoky voice who sang “Just the Way You Look Tonight” at the end of the movie “Father of the Bride”! Steve (and yes, I now think Steve and I should be on a first name basis) actually influenced Rod Stewart into branching off from rock and roll and reinventing himself as a “great standards” singer! (It also might have a little something to do with the fact that rock and roll is hard on an aging rocker’s bod!)
Take it from me – you want to direct your feet to the sunny side of the street and find a reason to leave your worries at the doorstep of Club M. It is just what the Dr. (of Optimism) orders!
Speaking of optimism, come Saturday afternoon, when Charlie and I were returning from showing one of my all time favorite listings in The Heritage, we heard Dick Van Dyke on one of my all time favorite radio shows, “Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!” Just hearing that blithely barbed baritone voice of Dick Van Dyke is enough to make you feel that all’s right with the world. (So I may be a teensy bit biased. I admit when I was little I used to dress up in black leggings and pearls and pretend I was Laura Petrie meeting my imaginary Rob at the door of our cozy cottage in New Rochelle!)
If you have a spare few minutes, tune into KPBS and listen to Dick Van Dyke singing a version of his theme song WITH WORDS written by Morrie Amsterdam no less! I promise you will have a trip back in time to a snappier, happier time when all you worried about was whether Dick was going to trip over the ottoman!
Take it to heart when Dick sings,
“When you find the joy of living is loving and giving… You’ll be there when the winning dice are tossed!”
Take that, pundits!