For his birthday, I would love to present him with birthday wishes from you. In case you’re thinking that Harry does not know who you are, I’m writing these postings with Harry’s blessing and I do share the feedback with him. When Harry turned 99, we collected nearly 150 cards for him in a two-week period, mostly from people who have never met him, but have been inspired by or were touched by him in some way. To this day, he still mentions some of the messages he received.

So if the spirit moves you, please share a birthday message or wish for Harry in the comments. I will print out the messages and put them in a card and present it to him on his birthday, so I’ll need them by July 22nd 8PM ET.

By the way, the attached picture is Harry this July 10th. Doesn’t he make triple digits look amazing!

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Harry and his siblings would walk to school in the morning, have their lessons, and walk back home to have lunch. After lunch, they would walk back to school and remain until 3pm. Before the end of the school day, the students were given a snack consisting of crackers and a container of milk, which cost about five cents.

As a child, Harry lived in several places in Brooklyn, and attended a few different schools; one school he mentioned was PS-28 located on Herkimer Street. It was at this school where Harry was tested and confirmed to have a hearing deficiency. He would attend his regular classes and then have a special class where he was taught to read lips, a skill he no longer has.

As for duties, at school, Harry was often responsible for filling up the inkwells. The ink was stored in the basement with the custodian. For safety reasons, the boys would be sent to the basement with empty bottles to get the ink as opposed to the girls. The custodian would pour the ink into the bottles, and then Harry would take the ink bottles to the classrooms and pour the ink into the inkwells.

After school Harry would go home, change his clothes, go outside to play, and in his words “sweat like a demon”. When his mother came home, he and siblings would go inside and “nose around” until she told them to go back outside and play.

For dinner, they would often have cabbage. His mother would prepare it by removing the hard center and then cutting the cabbage into four pieces because it was four of them at that time. With the cabbage, she would also prepare cornbread or potatoes, and that would be dinner, nothing elaborate, but filling.

After dinner, Harry’s oldest sister was responsible for washing the dishes. His next older sister would dry the dishes, and Harry would be responsible for putting the dishes away. While doing their chores, they would make jokes, laugh, and entertain themselves. When their chores were complete, they would listen to whatever their mother was listening to on the radio, with one of the programs being Inner Sanctum, which Harry described as being spooky.

What did you relate to and what did you find different from your experience while you attended grammar school? I related to playing outside. How about the experience of using inkwells or listening to the radio for evening entertainment? If you’re interested, there are Inner Sanctum episodes available on YouTube. :-)

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and as always, thank you for reading!

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Not knowing if it would work, he removed the camera from the trash. Harry was initially unable to use the camera because it did not have any film, but eventually he was able to save enough money to buy a roll. From there, he took pictures of his friends and people he encountered in the neighborhood. He would then develop the pictures at a drug store, which in his words cost “big bucks”, and showed the pictures to his various subjects.

When Harry left Brooklyn to join the Army and fight in World War II, his sister gifted him a 35mm camera. His enthusiasm to capture images while in the South Pacific was soon dampened by the fact that he could not obtain any film while overseas. Upon his return to the States, he saved money and bought various cameras, including a Zeiss Ikon. Eager to learn more about photography and to use his cameras to their full potential, Harry enrolled in an evening photography class in Brooklyn where he honed his skills to developing his own pictures and even enlarging them.

Some years later, during a Caribbean vacation with his beloved late wife, Hazel, Harry, availing himself to the benefits of duty-free shopping, paid a fair amount for a quality camera. He chuckled as he told me that Hazel said that as he was paying, his hands were shaking as he’d never paid that amount for a camera before.

This is merely a summary of the origins of Harry’s passion for photography, as nothing compares to hearing (and seeing) from Harry himself. Next week, we’ll do just that as I’ll be sharing a video of Harry discussing the origins of his photography hobby.

For now, I’ve attached some pictures that Harry has taken over the years. Do you recognize the landmark in the pictures? If yes, please share in the comments which landmark it is.

Thank you for reading!

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My apologies for not posting for quite some time. It’s been so long that I’ve had inquiries concerning Harry. First and foremost, to allay concerns, Harry is fine. When I mentioned to him that people had contacted me regarding his wellbeing, he said, “Tell them Harry is great!”

The past few months have been quite busy for me. Harry has seen the exhaustion on my face during my visits and he has repeatedly told me that I need to do less, but to make certain I keep up with my Yoga practice, especially Sun Salutations. For those of you who are not familiar with Sun Salutations, the simplest way to describe it is a continuous, flowing sequence of yoga poses.

A few Fridays ago, Harry handed me a book on Sun Salutations and asked me if I could make copies of certain pages. He started a Yoga club in his community when he was 99 and for an upcoming meeting, he wanted to lead the group on the essentials of Sun Salutations and use the book as a discussion point. Sun Salutations is a part of Harry’s regular Yoga practice, so I asked if he minded if I recorded him to share as I thought it would be inspiring. As always, he didn’t see the big deal with him doing Sun Salutations, but he agreed. He asked me to give him a couple of weeks to work on his form. Three weeks later when I arrived, Harry was waiting for me with his Yoga mat in hand. The attached video is a snippet of his practice, including a part of his warm up. I wanted to share this to let everyone see that Harry is not just doing well, he’s doing great just as he stated. In fact, he will be turning 102 years old next month!

Next week, we’ll cover how Harry’s passion for photography began as a child, around 1933, when he discovered a Brownie camera in a trash can.

Thank you for reading!

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As I was leaving, I jokingly said to him that if he came to the fashion show, everyone would make a fuss over him being 101 years young. He corrected me and said that he was 101 and a half. 😊

Last, but not least, I shared with Harry what I wrote in the previous post regarding how he sees life, which is, life just is and we choose how we react. He said, “That’s right, when it rains, you don’t get mad that it’s raining, you get a raincoat, and when it stops raining, you take the raincoat off.”

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Granted, life presents us with experiences that elicit emotions, unlike simple addition, which does not. When that happens, Harry lives by the following three steps to deal with whatever that issue may be. First, recognize there is a problem. Second, assess the situation. Third, take action.

Harry’s beloved Hazel passed away after several decades of marriage. Her passing was a fact. Harry recognized that he was experiencing grief, which was natural and understandable. He assessed the situation by reading books on grief and learned about its different stages. Harry then took action to deal with his grief, which came in the form of starting to practice yoga at age 80.

Therefore, life just is and facts just are. When life presents what could be an issue, perhaps see if those three steps can help you. In case you’re wondering if Harry ever found romance again, he has often told me that those days are behind him, not because of his age, but because he can’t imagine anyone making him feel the way his Hazel did.

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“It’s fine to be concerned, but what are you going to do about it?”

I was relaying to Harry that I was concerned about a family member who was going through a difficult time. In response, Harry said, “It’s fine to be concerned, but what are you going to do about it?” Harry encouraged me to take what action I could to assist. In this circumstance, he suggested I meditate with my relative in order to help them alleviate stress. Harry is a big believer in taking action. Now when I have a concern, I try not to ruminate on it for too long, but rather I ask myself, “what am I going to do about it?”

“If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl.”

Last year Harry’s community held the Olympics for the residents where they competed against each other. He was chosen to be one of the torchbearers. When it was time for Harry to carry the torch, he was asked if he could walk approximately fifty feet or if he would need assistance. Harry’s response was, “If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl.” At this point, Harry had already turned 100. His spirit is such that, he’ll accomplish what needs to get done, one way or another. Harry often tells me you can achieve whatever you set your mind to, and because of the nature of life, you may need to make adjustments, but you can still reach your goals. As for carrying the torch, Harry was able to walk the entire way, without assistance.

“Happy New Year”

This last one is not really a Harry-ism, but given that it’s the New Year, it’s suitable and perhaps may put a smile on your face. When I greet Harry, I say “Hi Harry” or (sometimes I say, “Hi Mr. Harry” because he chuckles at that). In response, he’ll say, “Merry Christmas” regardless of the time of year. I’ll then respond with, “Happy New Year” and we both laugh.

This evening I called Harry to wish him Happy New Year. He’s not a big believer in holidays, but I still wanted to wish him a Happy 2026. In response, he said, “Happy New Year, and may we see many more together.”

Happy New Year everyone and may we see many more together!

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When I visited Harry several weeks ago, he had a large bag of peanuts. He told me that he wanted me to have half and he would keep the other half. He suggested I roast some of the peanuts in the oven and plant the rest so I can grow my own peanuts.

As I was about to get into my car to leave, he wanted to make sure I knew how to crack open the peanut shell. I told him I usually smash it, but I would walk back to the porch so he could show me how he does it. He insisted on coming to where I was in the driveway. Harry has told me that if he doesn’t keep moving, he’ll stop and he doesn’t want to stop moving.

As for the peanut shell, Harry’s method is definitely a better way of getting to the peanut than my method of just smashing the peanut to smithereens!

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Several weeks ago, Harry and I arranged for me to take him to his appointment, which was scheduled for 7:30AM. When speaking with Harry the night before, I told him I would arrive between 6:00AM and 6:15AM. His response was, “No problem, but I have to tell you that I don’t have an alarm clock, but if I tell myself to wake up at a certain time, I’ll wake up at that time.” After further discussion, we agreed that I would call Harry at 5:30AM, to be on the safe side, to ensure he was awake. The next morning, at 5:29AM, before I could call him, he called me! He told me that he set his internal alarm clock for 4:00AM, and had been awake since then and was ready to go.

While at the hospital, we were sitting in the waiting area, which was cold. I jokingly mentioned to Harry that he should use his age to see if he could get some warm blankets. The lady sitting next to us overheard our conversation and inquired about Harry’s age. I asked her to guess. She said 80 or 81. Harry said, “Close, 101.” She was flabbergasted and naturally was curious about his lifestyle. Almost immediately, Harry began telling not just this lady, but other people in the waiting area about yoga and the benefits of deep belly breathing and demonstrated how to do it.

After Harry’s procedure, I went to see him in the recovery area where he was being monitored. I asked him how he was doing and he told me that he was fine and if he experienced any discomfort he would repeat the mantra, “Breathing in, I feel discomfort, breathing out, I release the discomfort.” The attending nurse made a comment about the mantra. Harry turned to her and mentioned that it’s all about the breathing and then said to her, “Let me see you breathe.” Harry had his nurse practicing deep belly breathing on the spot, and then told her that she needed to practice every day. Anyone who has ever taken a yoga class led by Harry has heard these five words- let me see you breathe.

I was watching Harry with his attending nurse, and said to him, “First you were educating everyone in the waiting room on deep breathing and now it’s your nurse’s turn.” He laughed and told me that before the procedure, he got into a conversation with his anesthesiologist about one of his favorite teas, oolong tea. He said the doctor whipped out his phone and started reading about the benefits of the tea. I then told him that he was educating everyone. He smiled and said, “I need to keep my big mouth shut”, and I told him that people want to hear Harry’s words of wisdom, and he smiled.

I hope hearing about some of Harry’s interactions brought a smile to your face. Thanks for reading!

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The previous posts discusses Harry’s life, but I thought it would be a treat for you to see him, so with Harry’s permission I am sharing this video.

Be great everyone!

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Harry grew up in Brooklyn in a mixed community that had people of various backgrounds- blacks, Italians, Polish, etc. They lived amongst each other, played with each other, and would even eat at each other’s houses. It was a melting pot. When Harry left his community to join the Army, his mother told him that things were different for black people beyond what he had experienced. He really did not understand what she was talking about.

When Harry arrived at the location to start his military career, he and the other recruits were told to line up, “Whites to the front and coloreds to the back”. He refused to go to the back. Harry stated, “If we came together, we can stand together”. His punishment was to cut grass, the size of a field, with a sickle. Harry response wasn’t anger. If he had to cut grass with a sickle, he was going to do so to the best of his ability and that’s exactly what he did.

The second story, also military-related, involved Harry returning to base with other soldiers after going into town to do shopping. While traveling by bus, Harry would sit near the middle of the bus, which was customary for him, and the other black soldiers would go to the back of the bus. On his way into town, there was no problem; however, the bus ride back to base was a different story.

As was Harry’s custom, he sat near the middle of the bus, while the other black soldiers went to the back. The bus driver told Harry that he had to get to the back of the bus also. Harry told the bus driver very calmly that if he (the bus driver) did not sit down and drive the bus back to the base, he (Harry) would kick him off the bus and drive it himself. The bus driver sat down and drove the bus back to the base. When they returned to base, the bus driver told the military police (MP) what Harry said and did. The MP told the bus driver that Harry was back on base, so there was nothing the bus driver could do about it. The kicker to the story is that Harry didn’t even know how to drive!

After we laughed over the fact that Harry had threatened to drive the bus, while not even knowing how to drive, I stated to Harry that the bus driver must have felt foolish. Harry’s reaction was that the bus driver was just a product of his time and surroundings and that blacks at the back of the bus was customary for him. He harbored no animosity towards the bus driver.

In conclusion, in one instance Harry faced an undeserved punishment and in the other he faced ignorance. His reaction was to do the best job in spite of his unfair treatment and treat ignorance with grace.

Thank you for reading and until next time.

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My conversations with Harry range from yoga, food, management vs. leadership, and the power of the mind. Regardless of the topic, he’ll often say, “I have a book about that, I’ll have it for you to read next week.” Sure enough, the following week when I arrive, Harry is sitting on his front porch with a book ready for me. The following are a few of his recommendations.

The Power of the Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy, Ph.D. is the book I am currently reading. It’s been an interesting read full of Bible verses and insightful notes from Harry written in the margins. A quote from the book that Harry noted is, “You are the captain of your soul (subconscious mind) and the master of your fate. Remember, you have the capacity to choose. Choose life! Chose love! Choose health! Choose happiness!” I think this quote describes Harry perfectly.

The Touch of Healing by Alice Burmeister with Tom Monte discusses the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu. I had never heard of Jin Shin Jyutsu. For anyone else who has never heard of it, it is a non-invasive Japanese art that uses gentle touch to balance the body’s energy system, promote a sense of well-being, and support the body’s natural healing capabilities. What strikes me is that, for many people, unless you’ve grown up hearing about this subject or culturally different methods of approaching health in general, it can come across as being extremely unconventional or perhaps even radical. Not only was Harry open to learning about Jin Shin Jyutsu, he was open to first learning about it well into his 80s and 90s, at a time when some people are said to be set in stone with their beliefs or resistant to exploring new ideas.

Another topic of our conversations is leadership. A line that Harry has spoken to me on several occasions is that leadership is the ability to influence, and management is getting things done through other people. I think Harry was born a natural leader. Even as a teenager in Brooklyn in the 1930s and 1940s his friends voted him president of his local athletic group. He neither petitioned nor campaigned for the position, but he was nominated and became the president. Harry would later demonstrate his leadership skills in both the military and in civilian life while working on the railroad. He’s a modest person and told me that he took courses in management and leadership and that he would get a couple of his books out so that I could borrow them. One Friday afternoon as I pulled in front of his house, there were two books laid out on his walkway. He told me that they had been in boxes for years so he was letting them “air out” before lending them to me. The books are How to Develop and Apply Work Plans by Charles F. Wilson, copyrighted in 1974 and Management: Theory and Practice by Ernest Dale, copyrighted in 1969. These books, in addition to The Touch of Healing, are currently on my “to read” list because Harry is lending me books faster than I can read them.

Harry has given me other book recommendations, so if you’re interested in any other book suggestions from him, just let me know and I’ll share them in a future post.

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Sports played a big role in Harry’s childhood. What strikes me the most is that he said, “we all played with each other”. Different skin colors, different nationalities, you name it, they played peacefully with each other. While I prefer not to dwell on skin color, Harry is black. His experiences as a black child growing up in the 1920s and 1930s is contrary to what I thought, which was based on what I’ve been told. Not only did they play with each other, they also ate meals at each other’s homes. Skin color was barely an issue in his childhood.

The one occasion when color was an issue, Harry was about ten years old, he and his friends went to a bakery, outside of his neighborhood, to purchase pastries. The woman behind the counter refused to serve them. While the first part of the story is disheartening, he said that a customer present, a white man, told the woman to sell the pastries to Harry and his friends, and she did. He holds no ill will towards this woman. In fact, his focus was on the customer who told her to sell the pastries to them.

On the home front, Harry’s mother played a prominent role in his life. When he talks about her, I hear the reverence in his voice and I think what a formidable woman she must have been. Harry is the third child out of five. Even with five children and working outside of the home, she seemed to be at all places at the same time. Once when Harry was playing sports outside, Harry used language that would not be considered horrible by today’s standards, but back in the 1930s, his mother felt it inappropriate. As soon as the words left his mouth, his mother leaned out the window of their apartment and said, “Son, come up here.” When he went upstairs, his mother washed his mouth using soap. To this day, Harry doesn’t use foul language or swear- perhaps the everlasting influence of a mother.

Next time, we’ll chat a little more about Harry’s childhood.

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The purpose of this newsletter is to discuss the endlessly fascinating person that Harry Jenkins is. I often talk about Harry because he is captivating. He has given me first-hand knowledge of living in the 1920s to the present. He remembers when newspapers were being sold reporting the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. He has clear memories of his army unit building airfields in Guam for the B-29 bombers during World War II.

Beyond hearing firsthand accounts of moments from decades ago, Harry is also an inspiring person. He does not believe in limitations, whether it be age, skin color, or otherwise. Harry excelled in his work, both in the military and in civilian life.

After the yoga teacher training, I didn’t see Harry for several years. I randomly ran into him when I was teaching fitness classes in his community. He was at the gym working out. We started chatting and I soon learned that he wanted to start a yoga club in his community. Mind you, by this time, Harry was 98 years old.

I eventually starting visiting Harry on Fridays. We sit on his front porch and just talk. Our topics range from Harry’s life growing up in Brooklyn, his time in the military, his love of photography, being a devoted husband of several decades, and of course health and yoga, just to name a few.

From my visits, I started posting updates about Harry on Facebook. I was Facebook friends with many of the people who knew Harry from yoga teacher training. I thought they would find the updates interesting, which they have. I was then pleasantly surprised to discover that others were interested in hearing about Harry also. People I knew from high school, college, church, etc.

Beyond Facebook, I would mention Harry in some of my fitness classes and to some of my legal clients. For my fitness students, especially those who are seniors, they found hearing about Harry encouraging and they became more motivated to keep moving and not give up. For my legal clients, who are often elderly and sometimes lonely, it’s often inspiring for them to hear about Harry’s mindset on how life may not be how you planned or hoped, but you make the best out of it and it can still be good.

The purpose of this specific post is to introduce you to Harry Jenkins. An intelligent man of great character and kindness. I always walk away from my conversations with Harry feeling uplifted and a little wiser. I am blessed to have the opportunity to have these visits with him. I want to share my blessing in the form of these posts and hopefully you’ll feel uplifted and perhaps a little wiser too.

Next time we’ll talk about growing up in Brooklyn in the 1920s and 1930s.

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