Isolation
One year ago this week, I stopped moving beyond my neighborhood, and mostly beyond my bedroom- something that hasn’t happened to me in 40 years. It has been a year of changes, of highs and lows, and stillness. Perhaps the hardest part has been allowing myself to be okay with doing less. Accepting that this […]
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Seeking Satisfaction
As a child, swimming and painting were fun activities, which inadvertently strengthened my body and spirit. At 18, I began seriously competing in the Paralympics and when I was 24, I moved from California to Taiwan to study Chinese arts. Swimming had massive benefits including a healthy body and mind, international travel and self-confidence from […]
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Feathered Friends and Enemies
Since my teens, I have observed birds. I’m attracted to all kinds of birds from eagles to swallows. Throughout my life birds have been messengers, reminding me of more ethereal or intuitive perspectives on life. Maybe it’s in embracing their point of view; flying fearlessly, undeterred, watching the world below, which gives me some solace, […]
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Rebooting in my Backyard
It’s not a mystery but to stay grounded and happy, each of us needs to take care of our mental, physical and emotional well-being. For me, at a minimum, it is essential that I spend time painting, swimming, writing, hiking and/or biking. When I practice these activities, like meditating, the practice builds up positive internal […]
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The Little Engine that Could
As a boy navigating the challenges of polio, sometimes life sucked. Why couldn’t I effortlessly run around like my friends? Why did heavy metal braces and crutches encumber me? I felt God had short-changed me. Sometimes I would cry myself to sleep at night. But on other nights, Mom would read me a book called, […]
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Discretionary Energy
Four large spotted wood owls nest in a rain-tree along my running path. Two adults and two offspring. The adults sit patiently at dusk; resting and gathering the strength needed for the night’s hunt. The offspring jump and flit from branch to branch perhaps unconcerned or unaware of what is needed for the challenges ahead. […]
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Rebooting in the Empty Spaces
My freshman year at Franklin & Marshall College challenged me to think more deeply about life. Philosophy 101 was no exception. After much procrastination, the hypothesis I set out to prove was that, “events that don’t happen in our lives affect us just as much as incidents that do happen to us.” Okay, maybe I […]
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Is American Positivity Dead?
As a child growing up with paralysis from Polio, I intuitively looked for role models to give me strength. Like many boys at the time, Superman held promise and through thick and thin, always managed to save the day. But I also recall nights, crying myself to sleep asking my Catholic God why I was […]
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Monsoons and Martians
In Asia, the monsoon rains arrive with vengeance, pummeling the earth and all life on it. Like a fire hose, the water douses everything and there is no escaping it. Venturing out in these rains has its merits though. Immediately I feel a comradely with fellow travelers who are also moving about dodging massive raindrops. […]
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