Of all the ways to experience the western states, hiking is the immersive option. Whether you’re exploring national parks or enjoying regional secrets, hiking serves every age. That doesn’t mean it’s safe, exactly. Engaging with nature means venturing beyond civilized conveniences. All you have is what you bring, and who you’re with informs how far […]
Category: suffering
The entrapment of rats.
Every neighborhood has its pests. Whether mosquitoes, mice, wasps, snakes, or centipedes, pestilence is a nuisance. We once lived in a neighborhood beset with rats. Despite our great fondness for Mrs. Frisby and her NIMH friends, we are not rat fans. Scratching in the attic is the opposite of a soothing seaside breeze. When we […]
Calling the plumber.
Imagine arriving home at day’s end to find greasy black liquid spreading across the counter, running down the cabinets onto the floor, and soaking into the hallway carpet. A backed-up kitchen sink on the middle floor of a forty-storied apartment building is neither peaceful nor relaxing. A quick call brought two men running down the […]
Patrick O’Brian on the storms of life
The tempests of life don’t always surprise us. Some we’ve faced before, and we often see them coming. When that’s the case, it helps to remember the experience. There’s an episode in Patrick O’Brian’s The Wine-Dark Sea that features four common stages of a storm. Though no two trials are identical, these stages rang true for me. […]
Seven Things I’ve Learned About Death (from an ICU Nurse)
(1) Death is unnatural. It doesn’t feel right. When entering a room where there’s a body, nurses often turn on all the lights and the TV. Bodies were designed to host life. When the life goes elsewhere, its absence is felt. (2) None of us knows when our time will come , so let people […]
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