Change is hard to come by — just ask anyone who had to give up drinking or even chocolate cake. I don’t have any illusions about what I have written here. This book is unlikely to transform the world. Norman Vincent Peale can rest easy. But maybe, just maybe, reading about my life and the way I look at things will cause a few people to think a little differently about their own lives; about how they are living and why they are living. You may say to yourself at this point, “Mickey, why are you so worried about all this negativity in people?” It is because I care deeply about the plight of human beings and the forces that shape them. People are really great, some of the finest creations on this planet. When they stay positive—especially when they help their fellow human beings stay positive—they are even better than great. So I invite you to take a little trip with me. A trip that begins in Revere, Massachusetts, and travels through the Boston area with a short stop in Syracuse, then runs all the way to Boca Raton, Florida. It even gets international, with forays to the Soviet Union and many trips to the Holy Land. I will do my best to keep you entertained and share with you a bit about my background, my work, my passions, and my hopes. I won’t take up too much of your time, I promise. I will let my story speak for itself and keep you as awake as if you were sipping on a cup of steaming hot Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I will try to put a smile on your face until you fall into a deep and restful sleep. I hope when you think about me and about this book, you will smile. By the time you finish that final page, you may come to the same conclusion that I have and declare, “I hate bad news.”