From Seth
January 23, 2025
Writing a guest entry for the juggernaut 80-Something Blog after 17 years as a loyal reader feels as big an honor as landing a cameo as a murderer on that other long-running blockbuster I'm a fan of, Law and Order: SVU. That said, in today’s episode I hope to come across as a loyal son to the end, rather than being exposed in the final paragraph as a perverted felon.
Luckily, the only injustice here is that I have had the privilege of being Judy Kugel’s son for 54 years, and you have not. Everything you read about her as a mother, wife, friend and citizen is true: she is deeply thoughtful, loving, generous and — like any internet influencer worth her salt — occasionally reveals more about herself in public than most would feel comfortable doing, all to her fans’ benefit.
I gave her the idea for this blog, back when she was 69 and closer to my current age than her current age, but never imagined she would take my admonition that “to maintain an audience, you need to write twice a week” so seriously. She has now kept it up through the invention of modern social media — Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Snapchat all emerged long after her first blog post, and she has avoided posting to any of them. That’s probably the right decision, though I’d pay to see her thoughts on social security and ageism set to the latest dance trend.
There’s an added bonus for the subset of readers who are her friends in real life: Judy Kugel updates in our inboxes twice a week, through good times and bad. But like them, I still call regularly for bonus material. With a mother this good, you’d have to be a psychopath not to.
These are wonderful tributes from your sons! I have followed you for ten years, followed Seth's frugal traveler columns, and read about Jeremy's many competitions. They are both so talented and thoughtful. Your posts are a joy to read each week, very relatable. Have a very good year, Judy, I think that you are going to Brazil again soon.And maybe you will write another book! best wishes from Jackie in Arizona
Posted by: Jackie Rifkin | January 23, 2025 at 08:00 AM