“Friday night, Todd told us a story about an aging Emperor who was ready to choose his successor. As a qualifying test, each child in the land was given a seed to care for. After a year, the children reconvened to share their results. All but one presented the...
“Look at this Stick Bug,” said Ranger Scott, flashing a smile as I exited my car at the old Boy Scout Camp trailhead. The creature took me back to a time of limited vocabulary. My family was sitting in the woods. “Look at this, Kimmy, it’s a Walking Stick,” I...
A small local Forest Preserve beckoned that morning. A creek runs through it. I love a place where the water and the woods meet. On my way to my favorite trail, I walked by a shelter as a couple was unloading their car. Noting a cooler and chairs, I asked if they were...
‘Tis a gift to share ideas. Turmoil isn’t fertile soil for contemplation of the abstract. Devastation doesn’t inspire philosophical wanderings. Our bodies choose survival over pondering the nonessential. I understand this as I have struggled through the last...
I have been learning about Face Reading in Chinese Medicine. Forehead wrinkles show difficult experiences during one’s twenties. Wrinkles that go all the way across the forehead indicate important lessons learned. Those that don’t go all the way across hint the owner...
I had dinner with a wise friend. We have known each other for a long time, and I feel free to speak from the heart. I was mentally stumbling and contorting logic in an attempt to explain a series of events. The truth is, I was trying to UNDERSTAND the outcome of said...
The picture is of my Holiday Card. I share it with the following thoughts: I suppose the idea starts with our friend Aaron, who secured a postal job with a song. It was during lockdown, and things were crazy. Writing a song and sending it to the federal government...
Yesterday, I was walking around Siegler Lake at Big Rock Forest Preserve when I came upon a family. A little girl had a large black stuffed animal strapped to her back. “From behind, I thought you were a bear,” I joked. We laughed as I passed them. Then I cried. The...
Yesterday, as I walked across the bridge at Croton Dam, I stopped and smiled at a fisherman. “My Dad caught a lot of fish here,” I said casually, not sure the fisherman would understand or want to engage. He responded with a huge smile. “I have been fishing here for...
LOOK AT THE FISH! If you ignore the ripples and the dazzling acrobat, this picture is just like the one I shared two weeks ago. Even as I leaned over the railing and lined up the shot, I wondered why I was interested in this subject. Again. So soon. I was...
