TNZ Balfour David & Samara 1 of 2 3 10 2021
Summary & Full Timestamped Transcript Below…
- [00:00 → 05:00]
Introduction and Guest Backgrounds
Jason Schwartz, host of the Neutral Zone Maui on KAKU 88.5 FM and AKAKU Maui Community Media, introduces the guests David and Samara Balfour, originally from New York and Minnesota respectively. - David was born in Brooklyn in 1938 and mostly grew up in the Bronx.
- Samara was born in Winona, Minnesota, grew up working in agricultural fields, including apple and cherry picking in Yakima, Washington. She moved from Minnesota to Yakima and then later to Hawaii.
- David moved to Maui in 1959, Samara arrived later, and Jason came in 1988, noting Maui was a much smaller community then with fewer than 20,000 residents.
Key insights:
- Both guests have strong ties to New York and the agricultural Pacific Northwest before settling in Maui.
- They have personal experience with small-town life and agricultural labor.
- The migration path from the cold Midwest to Pacific Northwest farming communities to Hawaii is highlighted.
- [05:00 → 15:00]
How David and Samara Met and Early Life Stories
David recounts his teaching career in New York and his travels, including a sabbatical around the world during which he briefly visited Hawaii in 1974 where he met Samara at a brunch after being introduced by a mutual friend. They initially had no immediate romantic connection but an incident in Chinatown Honolulu where David instinctively grabbed Samara’s hand to avoid a car sparked mutual attraction. - David taught social studies and worked at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Junior High School in Harlem, New York, spending most of his career there with a brief assistant principal role in Far Rockaway.
- He shares stories of growing up in a diverse New York neighborhood, including an encounter with former students that reflected community ties.
- Samara’s upbringing included working in the fields as one of nine siblings coming from a poor family.
- The couple’s first vacation together was in Honolulu, and their relationship grew from there.
Key insights:
- The meeting was serendipitous and evolved gradually from friendship to partnership.
- David’s background as an educator in a historically significant Harlem school informs his worldview.
- Samara’s working-class agricultural roots contrast with David’s urban upbringing but complement their shared resilience.
- [15:00 → 25:00]
Educational and Career Background of David
David discusses his academic background and teaching career: - He studied at City College of New York (CCNY), part of the City University system, earning a degree in social studies and obtaining teaching certification.
- His teaching career was primarily at PS 43, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Junior High School, notable for its name after the prominent African-American congressman and civil rights activist.
- He reflects on his school’s naming history, originally intended for Paul Robeson, a controversial singer and activist, but legal restrictions required naming after a deceased person.
- David stresses the importance of education as a tool for equality and social progress, emphasizing that everyone has unique skills to contribute to society.
Key insights:
- The educational environment in Harlem during the 1960s-70s shaped David’s commitment to social justice and equality.
- Naming the school after Adam Clayton Powell Jr. connects it to a legacy of political activism and civil rights.
- David’s philosophy centers on education as a foundation for an equal playing field.
- [25:00 → 35:00]
Running and Physical Fitness as a Shared Passion
David shares his journey into long-distance running: - Initially reluctant, he was inspired by a colleague who ran marathons and decided to try running five-mile races, gradually increasing distance to 10Ks, 10-mile races, marathons, and ultra-marathons.
- He emphasizes the mental and physical discipline required, explaining how he learned to pace himself and use reserve energy to sprint at the finish line.
- Samara also took up running, eventually competing in marathons and ultra-marathons alongside David.
- They recount running the Marine Corps Marathon together, finishing hand-in-hand shortly before their wedding.
- Running is described as a non-team sport that allows independence, transportation, and personal challenge.
Key insights:
- Running became a metaphor for their relationship and life partnership—perseverance, pacing, and mutual support.
- Physical fitness and active lifestyles are lifelong passions that bind them.
- Their shared commitment to running helped them build a deep connection and mutual respect.
- [35:00 → 45:00]
Marriage, Family, and Cultural Challenges
David and Samara discuss their decision to marry after living together for three years: - Samara proposed marriage to David, who had been hesitant about marriage until his 40s due to personal fears and family experiences.
- David’s mother initially disapproved of their union because Samara was not Jewish, but after open communication and clarifying that they would not have children (due to Samara’s hysterectomy), she accepted their relationship.
- David reflects on the importance of love and happiness over religious or cultural differences and the need to transcend outdated prejudices.
- They have been married for over 45 years and emphasize commitment, patience, and mutual respect as keys to their enduring partnership.
Key insights:
- Interfaith and intercultural relationships require communication and compromise but can thrive with openness.
- Family acceptance can be complex but is often overcome through love and understanding.
- Long-term relationships evolve and deepen with patience and shared values.
- [45:00 → 55:00]
Spirituality, World Travel, and Personal Growth
David reveals his spiritual journey sparked by Samara’s influence: - During their sabbatical travels, including India, David was introduced to spiritual teachings from figures like Osho and Bhagavan Rajneesh.
- He participated in spiritual workshops and encounter groups in California, experiencing significant personal transformation.
- David kept detailed journals during their travels which reflected his evolving mindset.
- The ashram experience in Pune, India, was challenging yet transformative despite cultural differences and his advanced education background.
- Samara acted as his spiritual mentor, guiding his awakening.
Key insights:
- Spiritual growth was a major part of their shared journey, complementing their physical and emotional partnership.
- Exposure to diverse spiritual traditions broadened David’s perspective and inner life.
- Personal development is ongoing and multifaceted, involving mind, body, and spirit.
- [55:00 → 01:05:00]
Life on Maui, Environmentalism, and Community Values
The couple reflects on living in Maui, the impact of the pandemic, and their vision for the future: - They have been seasonal residents of Maui but stayed full-time since the pandemic began in 2019.
- They express a deep love for Maui’s natural beauty and community spirit.
- Both are environmentalists, advocating for renewable energy solutions like wind and solar power and envisioning a future with electric vehicles replacing gasoline-powered cars.
- They acknowledge financial and practical challenges to rapid environmental change but believe in long-term progress.
- David shares nostalgic reflections on historical changes in society, economy, and technology over his lifetime.
- The couple emphasizes the importance of community, caring for neighbors, and waking up to social and environmental realities.
- They highlight their commitment to kindness, compassion, and the belief in a shared human identity beyond divisions.
Key insights:
- Maui represents a personal and spiritual paradise for the couple, symbolizing connection to nature and community.
- Environmental sustainability is a core value intertwined with their vision for Maui’s future.
- They advocate for social awakening and unity as foundational for healing the world.
- [01:05:00 → 01:10:00]
Health, COVID-19, and Vaccination Perspectives
David and Samara discuss their approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccinations: - Both are elderly and health-conscious, maintaining strong immune systems through lifelong activity and diet.
- David expresses hesitancy about vaccination, preferring to wait and rely on natural immunity and social distancing, especially given Maui’s controlled entry protocols.
- Samara has received her first vaccine shot after it was made easily accessible in her senior living community.
- They emphasize the importance of being proactive about health to avoid illness and support community wellbeing.
Key insights:
- Their approach to health during the pandemic combines caution, personal choice, and respect for public health measures.
- Longevity and wellness are attributed to active lifestyles and mindful living.
- The couple models thoughtful engagement with contemporary health challenges.
- [01:10:00 → 01:12:00]
Closing Reflections and Messages
Jason wraps up the interview with gratitude and praise: - He highlights the couple’s positive energy, environmental commitment, and shared wisdom.
- David and Samara extend an invitation to visit Maui and experience its beauty firsthand.
- They affirm adherence to COVID safety protocols including masks and social distancing during the interview.
- The couple encourages listeners to embrace compassion, community, and to contribute to making the world a better place.
Key insights:
- The Balfours represent a model of lifelong partnership grounded in love, health, spirituality, and social responsibility.
- Their story is an inspiration for community engagement, environmental stewardship, and personal growth.
- The interview ends on a hopeful and united note emphasizing shared human values.
Timeline of Key Events
| Timestamp | Event Description |
|---|---|
| 1938 | David Balfour born in Brooklyn, New York |
| Childhood | David grows up in the Bronx; Samara grows up in Winona, Minnesota, later Yakima, Washington |
| 1959 | David moves to Maui |
| 1974 | David and Samara meet during David’s Christmas vacation in Hawaii |
| Late 1970s | David teaches at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Junior High School in Harlem, New York |
| Early 1980s | David and Samara begin running races together |
| Mid 1980s | They get married after living together for three years |
| 2019 | Pandemic leads them to remain full-time on Maui |
| 2020-2021 | Discussions on vaccination and health during COVID-19 |
Summary of Quantitative Data on Running Achievements
| Activity | Approximate Distance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First race | 5 miles | Started slow, discovered passion |
| Subsequent races | 10K (6.2 miles), 10 miles | Gradual distance increase |
| Marathons completed | 85 marathons | Includes multiple ultra-marathons |
| Ultra-marathon distance | Over 100 miles | Completed on two occasions |
| Longest race duration | 18 hours 23 minutes | On a one-mile track with breaks |
Core Concepts and Values Highlighted
- Education as a tool for equality
- Lifelong health and fitness through running
- Intercultural marriage and overcoming prejudice
- Spiritual growth and personal transformation
- Environmental responsibility and sustainability
- Community, compassion, and social awakening
- Mindful health decisions during a pandemic
Key Quotes
- “If you want to get an equal playing field, it starts with education.”
- “Everybody has skills… not everybody is going to be a brain surgeon, but we all contribute.”
- “I gave everything I could… it’s one of the few times in my life I could give 100%.”
- “We made this world… we need to restore that paradise.”
- “Remember who you are… I am a beautiful and compassionate being here and now.”
Conclusion
David and Samara Balfour’s story is a rich narrative of cultural diversity, education, physical endurance, spiritual awakening, and environmental stewardship. Their partnership spans over four decades, demonstrating resilience, love, and shared values. They embody a holistic approach to life that integrates body, mind, and spirit while advocating for community unity and ecological responsibility. Their reflections offer wisdom for navigating personal challenges and societal changes, emphasizing compassion, education, and sustainability as foundations for a better future.
Transcript
00:00
[Music] aloha i am jason schwartz your host here at the neutral zone maui neutral zone dot com we are on kaku 88.5 fm the voice of maui you can also see us on akaku maui community media we used to say tv but media because we’re also on the the web and we have maui neutral zone dot com where you can see this show and all of our shows and of course everything lives on youtube so you can always go searching today i brought the king and the queen they’re laughing because they know it’s true
00:55
i really meant the kings and the queens county these guys are from new york i found two beautiful people here in maui david and samara balfour aloha welcome to the show i hate i hate to correct my host i have to i can honestly claim since i was born in brooklyn in 1938 i was whisked away after during my infancy to the bronx the bronx mainly where i’m from because i that was my growing up period but my missus has her own story she’s as she likes to say she’s a new yorker as a result of
01:43
hooking up with me where are you from my dear i was born in winona minnesota i don’t relate at all wynonna like i might have known from arizona since spelling for the song root 66 w i n o n a okay because we know that why owner is in arizona which is and there’s um winona writer here we go how did you oh minnesota you know i think of minnesota i have a cousin [Music] i asked him why are you there he loves it he loves it he loves the cold cold for me if you love the cold i wonder 40 below zero
02:35
freezing my hands and feet walking to school two miles oh my goodness terrible i left when i was nine no with the family or alone but my foundation wasn’t a runaway that’s not you know she was packed up and she was packed up and on the road route 66 moved to another place called yakima washington was that any warmer it was warmer but it was it was hard because um the small town and people you know how people can be in this small town like mali it’s a small town people are that way here
03:22
well i just remember when i got here was 1988 you guys probably a little after that no no i came to 59 to maui well here on maui i moved here in 1988 and i don’t think there were 20 000 people but it was much smaller than it is yeah oh yeah that was a small town feeling like when you say i think of yakima in washington maybe because my map the way i look at it the name will show up these days when the town is big enough to hit the map so yakima was one of the bigger ones it’s on the map yeah apple pickers that
04:03
was an apple picker cherry picker it’s an agricultural hub and they have lots of migrant workers and a lot of uh um there were the seasonal farmwork former guys who was laying there so that her growing up and her sister she’s one of nine they and she was actually and they she worked in the in fields earning some extra money as did her sisters i guess you probably sound like her agent is that you tell me you i just said she’s right here let’s see what you we have to work as we come from poor
04:45
family and uh we worked in the fields and you were out in the field that you found him no no i found him on a walk on oahu in 74. but i was still living there so this king was in a while how did you get to the wahoo king i had a charter i was i was a teacher and then an assistant principal and as a bachelor i like to travel so i took a sabbatical leave and i traveled around the world for six months and one of the last stops i made was in japan when i got a call from my brother who said you wanted for an interview to be an
05:30
assistant principal by a former colleague of mine he said i said but i got a few more stops to make including hawaii sit you better get your butt back here in new york for this interview you can go back you know some later year oh so i touched down ever so briefly on you know uh i guess oahu and route back to new york uh for my interview as it turned out i didn’t get that job but a few years later i actually took a charter flight in those days they offered charter flights during your christmas vacation
06:10
i was a teacher they were relatively reasonably uh priced and i could afford it so i came to uh i had one of those packages you know the flight hotel room a lay greeting things like that and before i came i had a friend that i had met on a on that sabbatical trip i met her in fiji and we traveled together and we became old-fashioned pen pals we corresponded long hand regularly both of us liked that and when uh she had relocated to oahu and when i was going to go to oahu i wrote to her and she said
06:59
give me a call when you arrive and when i arrived i gave her a call and she said are you traveling by yourself and i said no i’m traveling with a friend so she said why don’t you and your friend come over for brunch tomorrow she gave me the address and she said i’ll invite my friend and she said my friend just broke up with a guy i don’t like so i wanted her to meet somebody that i like so that’s how i met samar i didn’t want to go christmas vacation in 1974 in the end of 74. so uh
07:37
we were introduced and it didn’t quite take off right away but it was not love at first sight not for either of us but i i like to tell this because it actually took place we i wanted to see the famous chinatown in uh honolulu yeah yeah so we went to this famous chinese restaurant whose name i can’t remember right well that i believe okay and when we left the restaurant we were strolling through the streets and we started to cross the street and being a new yorker being aware of traffic
08:15
uh i saw this car and i got i got concerned so i instinctively grabbed samara’s hand to basically pull her along with me so we get out of the way of the car and much to my surprise and delight and truly was some electricity some chemistry some spark that happened i looked at this woman a little differently because i could actually feel something in my body i was attracted to her and the rest of that vacation was spent getting to know her a lot better by the end of that trip she had taken me she had done
08:59
s do you remember earhard seminars training sure she said she had done it and she wanted me to meet her it was some kind of a what what was that at the ilikei there was some kind of a function and so we went to the illicit and she introduced me the one i was more impressed with than anybody else was so free she introduced me to bill dana you remember building it sure jose means right you lived here on maui too i believe he lived in hana oh yeah yeah tomorrow he wrote a song about you didn’t he yeah he said i’m
09:32
going to maui to marry samara unless i get lucky tonight [Laughter] so yeah i was impressed he got lucky yeah funny and the walking show of that story by the way is that when i left you let me jump to charter yes in other words we had it was uh i was smitten i was very much attracted to samara and i wanted to find out is this this summer is this a vacation romance so the test would be in new york city wherever i taught at a ghetto school and it was quite strenuous it was on central park and i was like a mile
10:27
away from my school i could actually walk to my school you know my father was the manager of the wp grant company at 125th street in broadway how about i grew up playing i remember the difference between black and white it was never in my consciousness it’s like amazing and gentile the same thing well he was when i was a kid it was in the mid 50s but then in the 19 i graduated college in high school 1969 so in 1968 with the convertible top down my senior project was taking photos so we were driving through
11:08
harlem taking pictures that now you’d figure they’d be coming and killing us but we felt no i was had no fear and i was out there documenting what now i understand it was quite a scene you know then but it was you live there that far away i have to think one night you mentioned mentioning that story george carlin you know grew up in the neighborhood but i lived on a and i still do have an apartment on 100th street so the school i taught at was 129 so it’s 20 blocks is a mile so it’s almost it
11:47
was about approximately a mile from 100th street to 129 actually a little uh a mile and a half a little more yeah mile and a half i’m sorry um what the story is going to tell you is one night during my bachelor days and i came home late at night and i’m looking around for a parking space and uh this is new york not maui and i find the parking space several blocks away from where i live and i pull into the parking space and i see there’s some young men in the neighborhood and late at night this does not look good
12:24
and anyway they start to move closer to me as i’m getting out of my car and you know making sure that everything is locked up making sure that there’s nothing valuable visible and that was the period when they would break into cars and take your car radio so i as they approached me i heard one of them say oh forget about it it’s mr balfour don’t bother so it was a it was his former student of mine i don’t know if he was planning on some mayhem but he recognized it does sound like he
12:56
told the other guys back up i already know this guy he’s our teacher so anyway yeah new york i love new york we used to go back i haven’t been off this island in god decade and a half well i don’t know i can’t i haven’t been to new york for longer this changes much i walked when i left new york it was 1973 there was no world trade center up yet so i didn’t even see the world trade center how’s that i missed it but now there’s something new there but yeah which we
13:38
oh we did go they went there with friendly too my father managed wt grant company service in new york new jersey i remember the wg grant it was like rivals right right right right yeah not too many people were much better right now it was w they were nation nationwide they ended up going bigger and bigger and bigger and then their president overextended their credit and they went upside down in 1972. why do i know because my father suddenly started a little shop afterwards he was he’s used to
14:12
running big company to suddenly have little shop it was a funny thing having a caught in gift shop in roslyn new york you know what i was thinking yes long island sure that’s where i grew up and went to stony brook on the island oh no i didn’t even know you were a new yorker oh brooklyn born in brooklyn you too new caledonian hospital i was their first baby in some kind of baby society in 1951. that’s my claim to fame i was born at brooklyn presbyterian in 1938 prior to world war ii
14:48
how come with two jewish kids one born a new caledonian hospital never bought a presbyterian that’s what they had that’s what they everything is like a conglomerate these things even by above the hospitals and that they merged and we live literally across the central block from outside so when i had hipaa replacement surgery with me for smarter walk across the park and visit me yeah so i’m in mount sinai as a patient that’s right moses was that he was had a couple of stones very good what did you teach when you
16:34
school as well as my younger brother also taught at the school wow so it became my closest friends or colleagues it was really a remarkable experience for the principal was my name for the school was the adam clayton powell jr junior high school junior high school 43 schools in new york aren’t numbers yeah yeah it’s almost 43 p.s 43. whoa high school 40 adam clayton powell was he the name on it when you started yes wow and the story there was apparently they wanted to name the school um after
17:19
[Applause] uh the great black singer um he was very controversial figure he was a former all-american football player and oh god all right and they found that billy eckstein arthur bryce uh no no no this guy had a deep baritone voice he was very political in fact there was a uh very seriously right-wing protest it will come to people for that of course but um as it turned out the pta wanted to name the school after this individual it was also the main movies records um but they found out you can only name
18:12
schools in new york posthumously they found that he was still alive no in fact he had spent a lot of time living in the soviet union paul robeson there it is paul rosen i may be 83 but the synapses are still working yeah you see i only knew paul robeson as an actor i didn’t know thing that’s because i was just he was an all-american football player he was an incredible actor and extra you gotta hear him sing old man river or anything he said but he was politically active and he was fearless because
18:52
again he was a big man he was very courageous um and during a period when uh segregation was very much happening in the united was the states that black people lived through so uh it’s really to me it’s i think it’s funny strange i grew up in new york and because i was around black i never thought about it at all at all until i was in high school where there was only one black girl in the school the daughter of arthur price and the singer and i was just that was the first time i ever really understood about race
19:38
problems because that never came up well your school adam clayton powell what what’s the junior junior i didn’t get that what you said yeah his name was adam clayton powell the congressman’s name was another power junior and it was a junior high school so that to joey i don’t claim vowel junior junior high school oh that’s funny yeah that’s just the way it was but then it could have been the paul ropes and junior high school if he had successfully had passed away so they
20:05
named it the unclean power it was actually named originally when i when i got there after the community which was manhattanville it’s the west side of new york just below where city college is city college 135th and you spend your whole career there wow except for one year i was an assistant principal at a school in far rockaway and i commuted i drove my car daily out there and i was more than happy to go back to my school it was just convenient i was familiar with the faculty i was familiar with the principal they
20:38
wanted me back it was easy for me that was i remember the year it was the year that they were holding impeachment hearings was it against nixon i am a man you remember the people our senator from uh daniel emulate was on that panel that’s what made him big and famous at the time he was running that whole deal he did very well um so um yeah they kind of exposed what was going on at that time but of course small peanuts running more recently bigger and dirtier and meaner right uh it’s all about chasing the
21:21
almighty buck i mean there’s so much for everybody i hate to get on the soapbox oh please that’s where they are this is it’s my fervent belief if you want to get an equal playing field it starts with education you have to make quality education available to all our children in this country in essence what we’re saying is in the future these are going to be adults create healthy environments so that they can grow and learn i’m also a fervent believer that everybody has skills
22:06
not everybody is going to be a brain surgeon not everybody is going to be a nuclear physicist but you know we all have something to contribute to society right and you realize that even more as a senior citizen you know i’ve been put out to pasture so to speak but my faculty’s work uh i know that we volunteer at the maui arts and cultural center we have a background in running uh we were serious long distance did that happen when you were seniors or way way back when i’m in new york
22:43
i am i used to play a city game which you may remember handball huh and then i graduated the plane paddleball which was a lot faster so i was playing paddleball where one of my colleagues said my son is going to be running in a race in central park uh i said i’m going to go watch him run maybe he’d like to come out and watch also so i went out to watch the race and i thought the race would be filled with these greyhounds the high school and college students you know ran like the wind but they went but the race wasn’t it was
23:20
filled with a lot of there was some of these dynamite fast runners and then they were various age groups and i saw one of my colleagues who i didn’t think was again to be judgmental but when i looked at him i didn’t think he was much of an athlete and i saw he finished the race too so i said peter what are you doing here he said well you know i’ve been running for a long time i said i didn’t know he said yeah he said i’d run the boston marathon a couple of times so they said you know what i’m gonna try
23:53
this i think this is something i could do and the following i signed up for a five mile race the following week and i said i’m going to start slow because i don’t want to embarrass myself and i ran the five miles and i ran with some people who apparently the crowds knew that i was getting cheated for as well and the one thing i learned about running was i could see the after i realized i could do it because i held back but i could see the finish line and i said you know what i want to see what a bird i want to see
24:29
what do i have in reserve in my energy tank and i turned i turned the i stepped on the accelerator and i maybe the first four and a half or four to three quarter miles warmed me up because i really could kick into a sprint and i began to real people and began to pass them and i had such an uplifting uplifting feeling when i crossed the finish line said i like this and i began my passion for running so um and you ran with a with a mind but if you i wouldn’t say coasting that’s never a coast for me
25:12
but you had reserved energy so you could sprint at the end what an exciting i always i always felt that i could share this with anyone who watches who has any kind of interest in running it’s one of the few times in my life where i could give one hundred percent i gave everything i could have never surprised that mrs also did very well i could reach back and just give it all that i could and when i crossed the finish line i was gasping i was out of breath and i actually fainted or passed out after a few of my
25:59
races at the finish line because you were totally gave it all i would i wanted to feel spent and it was such a good feeling i don’t have to beat anyone but i know that i gave a hundred percent not for 26.2 miles because i can’t run that hard during a marathon but i have about 85 marathons to my credit and ultra marathon so i’ve run i run over 100 miles on two occasions so i learned after a while that i have determination i have stick to it in this i have perseverance and that’s a good attribute to have if
26:39
you’re a long-distance runner so i realized i’ve been wrong long disc that when you run five miles one week and then you run 10ks next week which is 6.2 miles and then you run a 10 mile race then you realize incrementally you go more and more the question is how do you feel about it maybe it’s the fact that i’m comfortable teaching the same lesson four times a day or four different classes doing it for 30 plus years 32 years um so that what i liked about running is i didn’t need anybody else it’s not a
27:21
team sport i could put on a pair of running shoes and go out and do it wherever i was and also it’s a form of transportation i can’t tell you how many times i put a backpack on my back and run to visit friends because i’d show a little sweaty but that’s wonderful i never could get through that original wall i don’t know maybe it i didn’t have a good coach right because i always thought how did you keep running you you know how do you run so much you chat with other people
27:52
and you find people that may have the same body shape that you have same age and you find out everybody has their own challenges how do they go about it and you will modify it and you would adapt for your own personal use and that’s what took place when it came to the running i hated it when i first started but i didn’t want to be a running widow oh so you wanted to drop at the same time so i wanted to um we got a run too after i built up i went for my first five mile race in central park i still remember the
28:29
next it was a 10k race out at west point so i began to discover you know what i like running it right it didn’t cost that much at a time you got a t-shirt you showed up to visit nice places very nice places that they would shower you with the right nice food and drink after the race it was a lot of fun and sometimes we go places it’s been made in about a hotel third race samara and i were already hooked up together for the third race i said let’s go to washington dc they’ve got a
29:03
cherry blossom classic so we went to washington i’ve never run 10 miles it was the third race i ran and uh yeah she wished me well at this moment didn’t i run it also no a year later i got her into running and we ran we fast forward we go back to washington dc we’re both running in a marathon and what it’s the marine corps classic the marine corps i’m dead didn’t we no we want ted’s at the start of the time that started the 10-mile race you’re wishing me well we i remember we bopped our heads literally
29:42
bumped it yes i bent down to tie my shoelace and i collided at two heads so i remember that was before the ten miler a few years later we’re running the marine corps marathon it was i think in early october or early november end of october early november and we both entered in it and we’re running the race and i usually started out faster than samara but i ran into trouble that race and i found myself walking during certain stretches of the race you can’t so it wasn’t a great day and the next
30:25
thing i know is samara passes me i said sweetheart you keep going i’m just going to catch my breath and i’ll catch up and then i caught up to her and normally i would have tried to pass her and she said aren’t you gonna run faster i said we’re getting married in two weeks um if we’re going to go through life together we might as well finish this race together so we finished that marine corps holding hands crossing the finish line yeah that was october then yeah right so here we are
30:55
how many years later oh 40 plus close to 45 because we met in 74. so you guys have been married for 45 years we we did what you and harry have done we lived together for three years and then she popped the question now i’m serious she said that’s what she said to me you’re exaggerating well but you basically put it to me you said listen i know what i want for my future and uh marriage is in my plans you have to tell me now so i can make plans so she put it to me and i had to make a decision
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so the big the big issue i had that that’s bringing up some really fascinating stuff and the big hurdle was not so much getting married which was something that i was i was 38 you were 40 at the time i said i didn’t want to get married until i was at least 40. yeah i hadn’t come close and of course i’ve been with a number of women but marriage was a terrifying thing i spent the rest of your life with one person you know my parents had a marriage in which when they got angry with one another
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they they really sucked it to him hitting below the belt i understand i wouldn’t i wouldn’t let that happen i said if we had an argument we had to stir it up before we went to bed yes so we never would have been angry yeah that’s one of the things she brought to the team but on this the story i wanted to tell you um we were getting married i decided yeah uh i’m gonna marry some more i came to that conclusion now i needed to see my mother who was a widow so i go to see my mother and the
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conversation went something like this ma i want to let you know that i’m going to marry samara so she said so you told me what do you want from me so i said she didn’t like me because i wasn’t jewish wow so i said i grew to love you i know she grew to love you uh i think so well how could she not so you’re not jewish and you know you want your i only hear that all i know is every i’m jewish and uh i married someone that was not jewish my brother married someone who’s not jewish twice
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i’ve been with someone i think it doesn’t matter i don’t think it matters your generation all that prejudice stuff if you want to hang on to that all that old custom that’s fine i don’t like division that’s that’s the old paradigm let’s create a new paradigm we’re all one that’s right you know you know i think that’s i imagine you can’t imagine but you know we’ve been speaking almost an hour no really well we’re almost to let me just look here
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yeah it’s not unbelievable isn’t it see how time just raised right and i didn’t even finish the story so you’re gonna finish it yeah i say good good i sometimes what would ultimately my business introduced me to spirituality i grew up i was bar mitzvahed my mother had passed passover the house we were not religious but we observed jewish customs and my mother kept the kosher house i knew my mother my mother was born in poland and for her to live through the warranty that memphis and her family didn’t survive
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i’m sure painful i knew that this could be an issue which is why i told someone i want to go see my mother alone so i went to see her and she said well you’re telling me you know what is there for me to say so i said mom i’d like to have your blessing i’d like to get your approval and she said to me i want you to be happy so i i’ve stayed with that because i wasn’t trying to outsmart my mother i said mom are you to decide what makes me happy or can i decide what makes me do you want to pick
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my wife she said no no i don’t want to pick your wife so i said for three years now if your objection is that samara isn’t jewish and that would affect the raising of our children let me put your mind at ease samaras had a hysterectomy and we’re not going to have any children so that’s not going to be an issue i said my mind since samara came into my life am i any less jewish now than i’ve been previously she said no i said am i happy she said yes she said i i i talked to my mother
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normally i get impulsive and angry with her i didn’t have patience with my mother but on that day i i was very patient with her and by the time we left my mother was in our camp now my younger brother married his high school sweetheart there were a lot of issues he got divorced he got the loss from the second life etc but tomorrow i have been now we’ve had our ups and downs and our issues it’s not that that’s not the point of life we’re at i won’t mention our age but we’re in
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our 80s i’m 85. she mentioned it we’re not the same people we met this is my partner in life i i like the other thing i want you and the listeners to know is we normally come to maui seasonally we hear winter and summer spring and fall we live in america still have an apartment in manhattan there 52 years rent’s stabilized so it’s a good deal it doesn’t break we pay less for rent in new york than we do for maintenance here in our complex yeah i’m going to say the reason we have
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the point i wanted to make a result of the pandemic we came here thanksgiving of 2019. we would have gone back at the end of march a year ago but the pandemic happened and as a consequence and of course the epicenter was new york city so we thought it was not in our best interest to go back to new york and so we’ve remained and we postponed our trip thinking we’d go back after labor day but we didn’t think that wasn’t our best interest either and so we continue to be here now we’ve been
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here 16 17 paradise as you say as you would oh yeah what i kind of i always think like a teacher come back from a vacation write a composition or an essay like you did during the summer what did you do during the pandemic i was stuck in paradise i was stuck in maui so i and then what’s happened this is one of those user words amidst a blessing an unexpected blessing we’ve been here for a full year now and it’s clear this is where we want to live full-time so uh we got some insight sometimes i’ve
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always wanted to be here full-time have you finally come to that she’s an island girl because i’ve met her on a while and i see you know my little buddy here around us uh [Music] at what 35 no i was um 40. i was 40 look young it was been 86 1985 usa 100 miles how old were you at the time she said an age group records which was in the record books in fact she was it was smashed after six months but she wrote no that’s a wonderful occasion the time 18 hours and i had diarrhea for the first two hours
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on on this one-mile track then you take a break and run you can do whatever you like you go to bed sit down eat drink whatever you like get them 18 hours 23 minutes 54 seconds and we both finished except she waited three hours for me to finish so we’ve been going through life together he started that yeah i am proud of that and you should be proud of that yeah so if you know what effort goes into running because you indicated that you didn’t have a uh and i hated it in the beginning there she is she worked hard she worked
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hard at it yeah and when you’re a runner you know the challenges you face a lot of it is in your body and in your mind it’s always you and so i knew the kind of mental makeup that she had she introduced me she’s my spiritual mentor she mentioned run dust she’s i i had a sabbatical i had taken a sabbatical as a bachelor now i got a full year sabbatical and we traveled around the world together and she said you can plan the trip i want to go to only one place she said i want to go to
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india i said i’ve been to india you got a billion people most of them want to get out um you know the quality of life there is they’re on a poverty level there and i i said i’ll run my my ass all over but i want one month in india with um osho or bhagavan tree rajneesh and um he was saying two weeks would be plenty for me but once we got there it was like disneyland and the ganges for him and he wanted to stay i was ready to leave for me was agony and because people said you guys are married
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what are you doing here yeah i i had no idea to me was all spirit for me and um that’s what i went for for him and the lecturers and then i did some work workshops also but she introduced me to s so i started with s and then when we traveled on this around the world sabbatical and we paused at puna india as man she doesn’t know what it’s like but the ashram was an absolutely fascinating place and uh i was you know i remember i went for an intake interview and they said to me what kind of background do you have
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[Laughter] i graduated from university master’s degree uh taking all these graduate courses i taught for 14 years i had nothing so and i’ve taken s so the woman who’s at the gym says oh we’re going to start you in nursery school no background at all for spiritual growth so so i i started it with the enlightenment intensive and then i took as many of these classes as i could and i felt you moved to california the eslint institute had these uh um what was it called and i took an encounter group
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knocked the socks off and they knocked the arrogance out of kindergarten it was really incredible so it was really a period of growth as i said i always liked the corresponds i wrote letters to my brother i wrote letters to some of my colleagues and friends and they told me when i returned that they there was a noticeable difference the tone of the and the content of the writing indicating indicated to them that i was experiencing some kind of uh mind waltering experience so i don’t know if i’m the most
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but you know there’s a spiritual side that was definitely awakened and stoked by being there and the big thing that you do you ask questions didn’t oh so really you went by his jolts what she’s referring to is i was keeping a journal of this trip around the world and so when we went into the ashram in pune you have to go through uh what we see now about a metal detector and apparently the whole show was supposed to have an allergy to people who are after shave lotion or a perfume so they have a sweaty people who were
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sniffers check out to see if and they would let you in but they’d move you in the back where you know you wouldn’t cause him to have some kind of a reaction an allergic reaction so um and so so yeah i know this may sound hard to do but these guys want to go home and i don’t think they’ve done that it’s time to come to the bathroom [Laughter] i hope that you’ve enjoyed this time i’ve enjoyed spending time with you guys and i don’t know what you think this show would be but
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i know that i love you and i feel this incredible power and passion from you all the time and when i think of maui and its future i think about water is important and what’s important is people like you guys very much i’ve appreciated your spirit always positive and really part of you see me i’ve been out there talking all these years but you know you guys are in the same camp by the way we’re environmentalists and we believe in the star trek admonition right may the forest be with you
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[Music] the prime directive a better place than you find it and i’m feeling that at this point fortunate that i may be i would like in my own way to contribute to the transformation that’s going on here in maui would it be great on this small island if we had no gasoline-powered automobiles wouldn’t it be wonderful if we used you could see it on our hills over here the um wind turbines and we had wind and solar for the whole island what’s going to take is a financing tool like when we think about no cars those
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cars electric cars i didn’t say no cost no but i mean everything it’s always money yeah just to replace again all the money so many people would be prohibitive so they’ll go out over time and we now know that electric cars are also going to be cop put because of when you see what happens with what it does to the environment but there are things on the horizon that we all know that are extraordinary things in our lifetime we have seen such last hundred years amazing jason and now it’s time to save the world i
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remember when we had an ice box an ice box you remember when the subways were five cents what are the telephones for five cents postage stamps i’m just on the edge of that can you imagine when the postage stamps are 55 and it’s still not enough yeah what was it gasoline how much was it yesterday i remember 33 000 19 cents at costco i know now it’s 319 by the time you see this it might be higher fill up yeah before i raise the prices salaries haven’t gone up no they’re not coming and the quality of
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food and the way we’ve destroyed our land and all that wouldn’t say yes to fifteen dollars hour how can you support yourself and a family fifty thousand no why not that’s what they’re trying to make it yes people are making way less than that i know and somehow then someone justifies that it’s crazy yeah i think this comes from education we really need to get a sense of caring for our neighbors and we need to wake up if everyone thought about waking up and wake up to they really are life
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would be beautiful just remember who you are who are you who are you i am a beautiful and compassionate being here and now and i’ve learned to say i’m a child of god so whatever the creative process has manifested our being here so the evolution of the human race has brought us right here and now and uh we try to take what we’ve learned how we’ve evolved make this a better place for future generations that’s but i think it stems from getting a feeling that you’re not alone that you’re part
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of a community and the community embraces differences i’ll tell you when there is no separation we’ve created the separation where there really is none and we’ve created all these freaking labels that we don’t need see that these guys get it you young people get it it’s that group in the middle it’s the people i was going to say my age we don’t want to let this world down you know it’s almost like we had our eyes over our hands and we’re doing and enjoying now it’s time to kind of
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not leave until we fix this deal you made this world you made this world we didn’t create it we made it and it’s all each makes their own world and is they lived in the garden of eden so it was a paradise and we found it as a paradise i think we need to restore that and that’s within our it’s it’s already there it’s just uncovering all the other that we put upon it and if we can uncover that you know then you’re back to your pristine purity because you created all that if you
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didn’t create that these guys are terrific i know you guys out there are saying we want to come and see more of david and samara well come on come to maui we love maui thank you guys out there for joining us thank you guys david and samara balfour for spending this hour with me and thank you it was really a pleasure thank you we want everybody to know that we have the masks on and then um we’re observing okay the social distancing and what’s required um jason you’re going to be eligible for
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your vaccination shortly are you not um i am eligible are you going to take it someday if okay if push comes to show in my opinion um i am not taking it because i don’t really feel that it’s important for me to take it i haven’t taken vaccines for many years and i’ve been healthy my immune system is strong i’m very aware of health i know about the body and quote i’m staying socially distant my partner is also older than me and i’m you know i’m 70. so i’m waiting and again with everyone
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else taking it and us being on an island and knowing that to even get on this island you got to do so if we stay distant and they’re checking people on the way in at some point we’re going to be free of this burden and until then and if it if if after all there’s more and it’s important for me to take it i would consider taking it yeah i was not rushing it i wasn’t knowing how to take it and it just sort of fell into her laps for the first shot so it’s like you want to take it now and
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i was like they came and made it very easy for us where i live in a senior place yeah but i didn’t you know it really i think i’m not afraid yeah well i think it’s important for us to be aware yeah but you guys also aware of what you eat you’re very conscious of being in good health seriously we have had this lifelong passion to be active and may god willing none of us have any challenge from this or anyone we know amen amen we are so blessed to be here on maui but you know what we need to be
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proactive you know we can thank god that we’re blessed and we need to take care of others to see that this crippling and you know pandemic does you know goodbye moves out move on down the road exactly right aloha thank you guys for joining us well
