“Of the many places I have visited, Egypt is among the most complex and sometimes overwhelming.”
All in 2015
The Art of Writing
“Being a writer can sometimes weigh heavily. As a representative of and advocate for the written word, I recognize the opportunity to demonstrate good writing.”
This is 'that' day
“This is that day, the one you know is coming for weeks, the one when you know it’s over. You are on your road thinking about the day when you realize: the color is gone.”
Reflections on Right and Wrong
“A 60 year old elephant, dead. Shot and killed. Boom! Gone. How can there be anything right about the “right” of anyone to do that?”
How Is It Possible I Feel Cold?
“I understand the wisdom of wearing multiple layers in the mountains, where the full range of weather can crop up any time. But in my sweet, safe, predictable lower-peninsula Michigan? In August? It just doesn’t somehow seem right, or fair, to feel cold.”
Machu Picchu
“It’s the “lost city of the Incas” which, as with the city of Sleeping Beauty, was covered by dense vegetation for centuries before being rediscovered.”
In Honor of Great Teachers
“On August 7 this year, an impressive gathering of aging, now mostly-retired paramedics from those early days gathered to honor Bob Marlin, one of the original DGH paramedics and for many years our Chief Paramedic.”
Getting High in Peru
“What I learned was that, although I’d been thinking “I’m going to Machu Picchu” for months, I actually fell in love with the larger context of Peru.”
On Being A Generalist
“And so, it seems, I have become a generalist. I’m generally interested in learning about or doing generally anything. In a world populated more often these days by specialists, I am an outlier…”
To The Man Who Called Me Bastard
“I remember looking down from the high seat at you, knowing enough not even to try reasoning with you. Any discussion or review of the facts was clearly not possible.”
Work Is Not A Dirty Word
“Work is a universal theme, but what struck me was how it is spoken with the tone of a person sentenced to life in prison.”
The Nature of the Beast
“Owning horses is not the same as being a horseman. One of my best role-models for the honor of being called a “horseman” is my friend and trainer, Kathy.”
Yes, You Can!
“Yes! is a strategy I have often found helpful. My own efforts at reining in the weight-creep that came after the sedentary habits of grad school…”
Join Up!
“As I was driving home along the quiet streets of the middle of the night from a medical call at 0330 (that’s 3:30 a.m.) recently, that old Army pitch came to mind: ‘Join the Army, See the World’. ”
March Forth!
“That sun! I could sense that the dull deadness of winter is passing away. For the first time in months, it offered up a tease of warmth.”
Fabric and Memory
“Jake’s ribbons signify so much more than a notch in my belt. They signify the desire to test our abilities, the hope of doing myself (and my horse, and my trainer, and those on my team) proud…”
A Good Question
“A successful interview is like opening a treasure box of information. A good question gets to the point in a way that encourages the recipient to be both willing and able to give me the answer I seek.”
What Would You Do Differently If...
“Live large, I say. Don’t zip through the retirement money (just in case), but maybe stop obsessing so much about the little things.”
Mastery as an Attainable Concept
“Maybe what matters most is not the seemingly-ultimate prize of reaching the top. True masters learn that the actions and results from each separate day are what matter.”
Luck and the Liberal Arts
“…given a three year opportunity to teach freshman classes cryptically titled “Thought and Writing.” …I discovered something chilling: knowing how to really think was not a skill that had, so far, been nurtured in most of my students.”