THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 13, 2023 Page 7 Grand Opening of Rock Spot Climbing Advocate Staff Report M ayor Gary Christenson and members of the Malden Teen Enrichment Center officially welcomed Rock Spot Climbing to Malden Center! Rock Spot is celebrating 25 years as a company this September and is welcoming its newest bouldering gym to Malden at 195 Exchange St. Bouldering is a form of climbing that is low to the ground and has large soft mats to fall onto. Climbing has grown tremendously in recent years, especially with its addition to the Tokyo Summer Olympic games, where American Nathaniel Coleman claimed silver for the United States. Whether you are new to the sport or a seasoned climber, Rock Spot gyms are warm and inviting and a place to reach new heights. Team members come from every New England neighborhood, and as a community they focus on personal growth, equitable access and outdoor MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 6 lective sadness. It’s been a rough year to be a Prince. Uncle Dave. Uncle Bob. And now, my mom. Three down in one year. “Ellen had said: There will be a surprise. Someone unexpected will show. “Want to guess? Ready? John Cagno is there! With that perpetual smile that goes all the way up to his eyes. My burden is being lifted. The load is lightening. “And then, just as the poem reading is about to begin, John Mehos materializes. We are so happy to see each other to sit quietly. So, we go into the lobby. He always made me laugh. Ever since our 0-8 Pop Warner season. Which, by the way, was in the Autumn of 1970. “We’re standing there laughing, and that’s when Louis Femino enters from stage left. And if it had been a play, it would have seemed contrived. The moment is that close to perfect. “I had expected it to drag. But It’s over so fast. I’m on my way to the exit when someone from the funeral home tells me that Jimmy Muise called to say he’s thinking of me. I step onto the sidewalk with my ex-wife (but not my ex-friend). It’s a warm, beautiful Spring Day in late December. “I feel uplifted. Like Scrooge after his redemption. I’m tempted to run down Main Street, singing, ♫...I like life. Life likes me...♫ Rock Spot employees with (far left) Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Joan Ford-Mongeau, Rock Spot Climbing Co-Owner Nadav Minkin (left of Mayor), Mayor Gary Christenson (center), Co-Owner Lary Norin (right of Mayor) and (far right) Ward 6 Councillor Steve Winslow stewardship to support everyone’s climbing journey. For more information, please visit https://rockspotclimbing.com/ “Obviously, there will be more memories and more tears. But not just tears. “Cry until you laugh until you cry until you laugh. “And I guess that’s called...living. So off we go. On our journeys.” As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character “Columbo” would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – a son’s love for his mother – Dave in 2019: “I am mostly concerned about my mom, Betty. She is ninety. She lives in a senior housing complex in Melrose. A resident in the complex was recently hospitalized with Covid-19. Men in hazmat suits sprayed the hallway just outside Betty’s door. We spoke on the phone this morning. As we have been doing every morning, since...all this. We talk about the world and humans and family and the future and death and dying and letting go and saying goodbye and the meaning of life (if there is one) and wills and journeys and concern for the younger generations. Heavy stuff. “But we talk about these things, my mom and I do, without the melodrama. Without even much emotion. There’s no weeping. We analyze. It’s just how Betty and I roll. We’re on the same wavelength. Peas in a pod as it were.” Postscript: “As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us; as we remember them.” Jewish Prayer. WE CAN HELP PAY YOUR HEATING BILLS! You may qualify for ABCD’s Fuel Assistance Program and be eligible for as much as $2,200 towards your heating costs (oil, gas, or electric). Maximum benefit is $2,200 Household of 1 = $42,411 Household of 2 = $55,461 Household of 3 = $68,511 Household of 4 = $81,561 Cold days are coming. ABCD’s got you covered. APPLY TODAY! Last day to apply is April 30, 2023 Residents of Boston, Brookline, and Newton: 178 Tremont Street, Boston, MA — 617.357.6012 Residents of Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Stoneham, Winchester and Woburn: 18 Dartmouth Street, Malden, MA — 781.322.6284
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