Who Is My Neighbor? | Judy Reitz — Accepting, Loving, Caring, Enjoy Living, Nervous Right Now

"A smile is not a barometer of how you're doing. It's for the other person." Judy Reitz has lived in the same house in Queens for nearly 30 years — three blocks from the East River ferry, near the Noguchi Museum, a short walk from Socrates Sculpture Park — and she would not move for anything. She turned 80 this year, just lost a childhood friend to cancer, and describes her candle as getting short with a matter-of-factness that isn't sad, just honest. She spent seven years in Cambodia after her husband George died, working with young men in the sex trade — something she knows more about than most people, and something most people don't know happens at all. She also has thoughts on inner peace, bodega culture, Nordic walking poles, and the theology of what happens after we die. We'd love to read your answers to Judy's final question in the comments! Key Takeaways: What Judy learned in Cambodia that most people still don't know Why she traded a Midtown Manhattan doctor for a DO — and what the difference meant to her What her sister taught her recently about smiling that she'd never thought of before The theology of what happens between death and whatever comes next — and why she finds it exciting Why she says she lives in paradise — and makes a pretty convincing case Links & Resources: 🏥 The Hard Places Community — Alli Mellon's nonprofit fighting child sex trafficking in Cambodia and beyond: http://thehardplaces.org 🏛️ Socrates Sculpture Park — free outdoor sculpture museum, Long Island City, Queens: https://socratessculpturepark.org 🏛️ The Noguchi Museum — Long Island City, Queens: https://www.noguchi.org 📚 Theo of Golden by Allen Levi — the book Judy recommends (a stranger arrives in a town and returns portraits to people in exchange for their stories — practically a mission statement for this series): https://www.amazon.com/Theo-Golden-No... 📚 Imagine Heaven by John Burke — near-death experiences across cultures and what they share: https://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Heaven... 📚 Life After Life After Death by N.T. Wright — the theology Judy references about what happens after we die: https://www.amazon.com/Life-After-Dea... 📚 Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich — the book Judy cites on what it's actually like to live on low wages: https://www.amazon.com/Nickel-Dimed-N... 📚 Free Range Rodeo: Horseback Through the Apocalypse by Sea G Rhydr — currently on Judy's nightstand: https://www.amazon.com/Free-Range-Rod... 🤠 Learn more about host Sea G Rhydr: https://www.freerangerodeo.com