April 21, 1977
Thursday Night
Suitland, MD

Hello Everybody,

I remember when Amma said that when she greeted her friends all sitting in Sigga's living room. It also seems appropriate here. I'm writing to a lot of people here! 10 or 15 anyway! This Round Robin (funny name) is a good idea to give us all a gentle push to write to our relatives. The thought that 15 people are waiting on me forces me to begin the letter and from then on it's easy. The beginning is the hardest.

I hope I won't be the only male-type to add to this circle. Husbands can write letters, too! So far, Justin and Allan skipped out, and let the female part of the team do all of the talking.

I read Janet's and Julie's letters with great interest. Long time! I hope you adjust well to San Francisco, Janet and Justin. (Lot of J's here). The madness of the big city here bugs me occasionally and I think my heart would be at greater ease in a smaller town. You seem to be very interested in your studies, Julie. You and Joe (another one) are devoting your lives to helping unfortunate children are are to be commended. You could probably share some good stories.

My life has been running along OK with the usual share of ups and downs. There are 3 things about it I'd like to share with you all.

  1. My piano playing
  2. The food I eat
  3. My friends
About 2 years ago I finally got enough time and money together to begin taking piano lessons - something I had wanted to do since I was a sophomore in college. Included in the envelope is a tape of me trying to play these works by great masters:
  1. Prelude in E minor - Chopin
  2. Prelude in C minor - Bach
  3. Arioso - Bach
  4. Janet's Song - Thorleifson
  5. Traumerei - Schumann
In 2 months I'm going to be in the "Guild". It's a deal where a teacher brings all of her students to play privately for a judge after which the judge tactfully tells the teacher how she can improve her teaching. It's good for the students and the teacher. The students get judged on many factors - technique, style, touch, memory, etc. and, if they pass, get a nice certificate to hang on the wall. I once asked a fellow, who had been in the Guild many years, how hard the judges were. He said, "Oh, they're really nice. I've never known anyone who didn't pass." !!

About a year ago I found a book called, "Are You Confused?", by Paavo Airola, which completely turned my head around on matters of diet and health. It made such remarkable common sense to me that I decided to change my diet and pursue health. It has been most interesting. I eat any and all kinds of fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, flax), cereals and breads (wheat, rye, buckwheat, millet, oats), beans (chickpea, kidney, pinto, etc), milk, yogurt, cheese, honey, and herbal teas (peppermint, chamomile, etc). And this is all. I find it delicious, filling, and complete. My health has been excellent and much improved in several respects. I can't quite jump over a tall building in a single bound but I can fly faster than a speeding bullet. My new diet has caused many social problems. It is nearly impossible to share my new experiences without implying that others do likewise. We all have to eat and we all want to be healthy but ...

This is from "Are You Confused?":

"Man has a peculiar fancy for the complicated, involved, and elaborate. He has a great respect for things so complex he can't grasp...

Indeed, one of the main reasons why, in an age of moon-landings, we are not able to prevent or cure a simple cold, is that scientists are unwilling to recognize the obvious relation between man's ills and his obedience to the simple laws of nature. That such a simple thing as what man eats or doesn't eat could be the cause of most of his ills, is too simple, too unsophisticated a deduction."

This book really changed my life and may do so even more.

I am still single and no prospects in sight. I would like very much to find a woman to share my life but the looking is hard. I know very few people who share my outlook on life. I am not lonely and seem to require less fellowship than most. The only lonely person is one who has not found an idea to live for. And I have many.

I hope you all enjoy the tape. I am expectantly waiting for this monster letter of letters to come round again!

Jon