I am midway through my ninth week of living minimally ‘off the map.’ Excepting the broken leg from a week ago, it has been an exhilaratingly positive experience on all fronts: spiritually, mentally and physically. I was schooled in the ‘whole man concept’ as a cadet at the Air Force Academy 50 years ago. That …
Category Archives: Body
Lessons from the Forest
Three months ago, I wrote about the lessons the Kinnickinnic River taught me when I kayaked in high, rapid water with my friend Adam. Nature continues to teach me, and once more, the hard, humbling way, but that approach is certain to capture one’s attention… Since moving up to the hill with Clarence, I have …
Lessons from the River
We are blessed with two wonderful, young and vibrant families as neighbors, one on our left, the other on the right. Adam – to my left – acquired a kayak a few days ago and was anxious to log his maiden voyage on the Kinnickinnic and I enthusiastically volunteered to join him. Friday, May 31 …
The Joy of Adventure
There are those activities like fishing for trout that one can devote a morning, an afternoon, even a full day to and never capture as much as a glimpse of the bespeckled fish. That is of no consequence to the devote practitioner who gains as much – if not more – from the activity as …
Committed to Serving Others
University of South Florida (USF) soccer player Malani Lee gives us faith, hope and confidence in the future of the world community we exist in. Amid the tsunami of negative news that assaults us daily, young people like Malani stand up to be counted to let us know the world can be a better place.
Snowshoe
I was an active child spending as many waking hours out of doors as I could. I played with my brother, I played with my friends, I played with kids I didn’t even know. “Chip up” football and baseball games on the field next to our house on West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield where they …
Acupuncture, Martin Sheen and the Rosary
As I completed my income taxes over the weekend – not convinced that I should have after recently re-reading Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau – I noted that one can claim acupuncture fees as a medical deduction. I reflected on the successful acupuncture sessions I completed with Dr. Liu at Sunshine Acupuncture in River …
Minimizing the Common Cold with Zinc
Few physical ailments make routine life more miserable than the common cold particularly when it threatens to emerge during the summer. The Dreaded Sore Throat Yesterday morning, I woke up with the dreaded sore throat. Most colds are caused by a type of virus called rhinovirus, which thrives and multiplies in the nasal passages and throat …
Loon Lake
Although I lived many years at the base of the Adirondack Mountains in Holland Patent, NY, I have never seen a loon. I read Loon Lake when E.L. Doctorow published it in 1980. We lived in Upstate New York at the time, but I remember little about the book. I do recall that I enjoyed …
Kayak Adventure
Earlier this year, I acquired a tandem kayak for the specific purpose of introducing my grandchildren to the activity. From my outdated perspective, there is far more adventure to be had in a kayak on a river than there is to be had in a theatre seat with a tub of greasy popcorn at a …