Living landlocked is not for me – being close to the ocean is a must. From my long-time hobby, shipwreck diving, to my first real job as a navy A-6 Intruder carrier pilot, to where I choose to live today,…
Home
It rained all day, imparting a halting melancholy to the prevailing mood for my wife, the dogs, and me; we all seemed affected. The summer was gone, and it was time to start the work to prepare for winter, an…
A precarious trail
Ordinarily, my many sleepless nights are exercises in boredom relief, but yesterday was different. In the early morning, around 3:00 am, despite overeating the day prior and ignoring an uncomfortable fullness in my gut, I allowed Parkinson’s to leverage my…
Freedom in this world
On my walk today, I reflected on the meaning of freedom. Given the proclivity of freedom as political justification in foreign and domestic national decisions, including going to war, the definition of “freedom” seems rarely debated. It struck me, first…
Comeback
As Parkinson’s symptoms worsen, I am grateful for all that is going well in my life. I’ve decided to mount a comeback. Parkinson’s, you no longer get to enjoy a predictable reaction to your craven overtures. After almost 18 years…
Life’s grandest question
Our two golden retrievers pulled towards Mr. Johnson’s open garage door, a sure sign of his presence. Our entry into the garage prompted the elderly Mr. Johnson to look up. A man known to the neighborhood pups for his bottomless…
Reconciliation
Pride often dictates a reaction that we regret, potentially laying dormant friendship for decades. Recently, I witnessed the reconciliation of two good friends, both mellowed with aged circumstance, as they put their immodesty aside in reconciliation. Captain/owner of the research…
Dental floss
Yesterday, Laurie left for a week in Texas to visit my daughter, her husband, and our new grandchild. I was pleasantly surprised by my positive mood on the departure morning, despite a near-incapacitating run-in with dental floss that had me…
Imaginative surrender
Driving home from the hardware store today, I experienced an intense spark of unexpected connection, cloaking me in a dream-like trance. I’ve come to associate this sensation with the degree of balance within me. When comfortable in mind, at peace,…
You only live once
This past year has seen an inordinate number of house guests as if all my friends were taking advantage of the opportunity to see me one final time before I am permanently relegated by shovel to a six-foot buffer zone.…