Finally, curled up in a chair, showered, relaxed, well-rested. Marvin (stepdad) is still in the hospital after emergency surgery, so I am camped out in his room. Like the living room, books overflow from the 4 bookcases and form impulsive little piles. Without really digging, I found titles by F. Forrester Church, Sojourner Truth, Stephen…
Tango and I are in the auto shop waiting room. Everyone who comes in – parts folks, customers – loves Tango. Pat, pat, scratch, scratch. As usual, he gets all the attention. I am just the one who holds his leash. The van is in good hands here, and they will get me on the…
Seven nights ago, I posted about staying overnight in Livingston, MT, at the truck stop near the freeway. I awoke at 2:30 AM to hop the westbound Greyhound. Tonight, I am at the same truck stop, in the same van. That is where the similarity ends. I need not wake up until 6:30 AM, a real…
The past 2 weeks I read The Yellowstone Story (Vols 1, 2). I also read the daily news: conservation and environmental stories in particular. When I line up the Yellowstone Story next to the current public lands crisis (e.g., rescinding National Monument status of public lands), I find a remarkable parallel in the story lines. The…
By returning to Spokane I completed the circle that I began last August–a long journey that changed me from the inside out. Or, maybe, it laid me bare by peeling off, from the outside in, the layers that accumulated over the decades. Maybe both. Either way, I am glad for it. The best part of…
Be around young people Participate in their lives Learn about what they like Listen to their views Give some of your time and talents to others Keep moving Keep learning Follow your heart, trust your instincts For a more thorough prescription, see the Center for Conscious Eldering!
I hear through a sleepy haze: It is 2:30 AM. Beep beep beep. It is 2:30 AM. I press the snooze button on my talking phone alarm two times. The time is now 2:40 AM, and I wiggle myself up from the floor-level bed in the van. Shoes on. Computer and glasses tucked away in…
Hey, we were here first. Now, this gray-haired Annie Oakley tries to push us around. No one sent her the memo. We are young bulls taking a summer break from college and gainfully employed as the lawn mowers and picnic table maintenance crew for the campground. In fact, we are under contract with the NFS…
Overall, my first week has been great. The learning curve is steep and, already, I have learned much. Here are a few of the most important lessons so far: Bison are rude Every few days, 3 bull bison wander into my campsite. I call them Larry, Curly, and Mo. They are simply grazing, but they…
The Buddhist world view includes a sense of impermanence, which tells us that everything about life is temporary. Clearly, our state of being alive is temporary. However, impermanence – annica – has greater implications. The Buddha noticed that everything is transient or subject to decline and destruction. Beautiful trees lose their leaves, emotional bonds break,…