Reflection – Page 4 – Things I've Learned Along The Way

Wild

When I go to the woods, I discover Tiny purple flowers, Bird songs, Bones. I find equanimity, Communion, Calm. When I go to the mountains, I leave behind Businesses, Meetings, Phones. I shed expectations, Worries, Fears. When I go to the wilderness, I take A water bottle, Rain clothes, Boots. I bring resilience, Wonder, Joy.Continue reading “Wild”

Memories in bloom

A simple bouquet grows a garden of memories.

Mentors can teach hard lessons

I pick up the phone and a voice takes me back, three months before to a sunny day on a lake in northern Idaho. On that day, a group of graduate students and I, the lowly undergraduate, had meandered up winding roads to an A-frame summer house in the woods owned by Jim and hisContinue reading “Mentors can teach hard lessons”

Half-century mark

I turned 50 in 2017, so it seems fitting to reflect on existing for a half-century on this tiny planet in our vast universe. I’ve always felt very fortunate and grateful to be alive, because at the age of seven, no one thought I was going to make it to eight. One day I wasContinue reading “Half-century mark”

An ordinary day

My father would have been 77 this week, but he passed away almost 23 years ago when he was 54. The suddenness and swiftness of his death left the whole family bereft, and we still miss him. Although he died relatively young, my father did a great many things, and some of those things IContinue reading “An ordinary day”

On running

I wake up at dawn, put on a t-shirt and shorts and double-knot my running shoes. I step into the clear morning air and listen to the birds chime the first welcome of the day. I start slowly, allowing my limbs to shed the last bits of sleep. Then I fall into a rhythm. MyContinue reading “On running”

TMB Part 4: Fear and Wonder

It was a moment of wonder, one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

TMB: Pause and reflect

When you are walking on a trail, you put one foot in front of another, and when you are writing about the trail, you put one word after another as you describe it. But on the trail, sometimes you have to pause and reflect. Am I hungry or thirsty? Hot or cold? Tired or energized?Continue reading “TMB: Pause and reflect”