David Cohen

I studied Creative Writing at San Francisco State in the early seventies, and got a Masters Degree in Fine Arts, which I never cashed in. I left the country abruptly and spent the next three years wandering India and southeast Asia, landing finally in L.A., where I attempted a career in screenwriting at which I had no talent. In the early 80's I began the study of Chinese Medicine, a life-long pursuit. At the time I studied, there was no accredited degree. I sat for the California Boards in 1985, and was licensed to practice.

I was always one of the proverbial 99th percentile, and then I went to Swarthmore and was surrounded by high achievers, and this set my expectations for life. But as it turned out, I was not one of those, and I have had to come to terms with that. I am a fairly ordinary man, of modest accomplishments and limited skills. But I have had the privilege of service as a teacher and a healer and some modest gifts in that arena; I have a remarkable woman for a wife, and a son who makes me proud. Still, it has taken me all of this time to let go of the grudges that accompanied my expectations. It feels good to be 71, and to have accrued some modicum of wisdom.

When I moved back to California, emboldened by the numbers of like-minded folks, I resolved to resist, come what may. Bill Clinton and I were born on the same day. We got a pass.

Having practiced and taught Chinese Medicine for over thirty years, my world view is pretty much that of a Daoist. I never thought I would live this long, and now that I'm here, and none too much the worse for wear, I am just profoundly grateful. It took me a long time to get there.

...The time the "girl of my dreams" (nameless) finally acquiesced to come home (to Media) with me and my damn BSA wouldn't start. I kicked at that thing until both ankles were swollen, then gave up and called some under-appreciative friend (also nameless) at 3 AM.....Playing poker all night in ML, then sleeping through Tom Artin's Medieval Lit class. One day, Artin took John Lewis aside and asked him, "Does Cohen sleep in all his classes? Or is it just mine?" "Just yours," Lewis said, " It's the only one he shows up for.".....I remember the meatball sandwiches at the DeVille Diner at 4:30 AM after poker....Mark Smith's "quasi all-nighters...the sweet smell of the infield dirt with the thaw of spring...and the sweetness of springtime in the Crum woods...and the squalid, shit-hole apartment over Sue's restaurant in the Ville which I shared with Jay Kaplan and his dog, Heady, where we threw the most outrageous parties. I was particularly fond of the dog because she never threw up on the rug....and I remember the summer of '67 with Susan Bonthron in San Francisco and East Palo Alto...