of Cahal Pech in San Ignacio, Belize. There is a lot of speculation as to why this city was abandoned after thriving for 1000 years. I’m looking at the quality of the construction–the dressing of the stones, how carefully and masterfully they are laid up–and I’m wondering about the way these beautiful spaces were used.… Continue reading Standing in the ruins
Category: Personal Status
Healing and Toxic Positivity
Retirement, career change, aging, call it what you will. I’m experiencing those changes, I’m feeling addled, or wiser. Call that what you will, too. This morning, an article in the Washington Post. I so admire Deb Haaland, and I admire Joe Biden for appointing her. She’s sitting in long public meetings, taking testimony about the… Continue reading Healing and Toxic Positivity
2023
Last May I applied for admission to San Francisco State University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. I started in mid-August and completed my first four courses in mid-December. In 15 weeks I wrote three short stories, a dozen poems, and an evening-length play. Grades are posted, and I’ve established that I can… Continue reading 2023
Love and Work
I picked up Zoe from her day camp. She could have walked, but I was feeling kind of parental after taking her to a doctor’s appointment this morning, and so when I dropped her off, I agreed I’d be there at the end of her day. On the way back home, she was showing me… Continue reading Love and Work
Revelations
I’m ready to let 2021 go, with some sadness and some gratitude. It’s been a season of loss and a time of revelation. I’m thinking first of all of January 6, 2021, a date which now signifies the attempted coup against democracy that started well before that date and is continuing. The important revelation of… Continue reading Revelations
Beware of Darkness
It’s a long, cold, and rainy solstice night. It’s late, and I’ve got the blinds open in case some passerby might notice our Christmas tree in the window and be warmed by the sight. I love darkness. It is sacred and beautiful; it’s the fount of mystery and creativity and newness. And confusion. I’m thinking… Continue reading Beware of Darkness
The Beauty of Anachronism
A month ago, I suffered a serious setback in my personal life, as a year-long relationship came to an abrupt and unexpected end. Today, on a morning walk, my heart still heavy with grief, I passed this lovely anachronism, and it set me to thinking more broadly about defeat, and loss. This was the 1984… Continue reading The Beauty of Anachronism
Painful, Part 3
On Thursday, 26 days after the surgery, I went to Kaiser Oakland to get the cast removed. I drove the F-150–it’s got an automatic transmission, so I can drive with just my right hand. And who uses turn signals anyway. I parked on a nearby residential street and walked under the freeway and past the… Continue reading Painful, Part 3
Painful, Part 2
Kyle explained it to me. As I lay face up, my back pressing against the pavement, waiting for the ambulance to come, my left arm began to curl into itself, bending at the place where the bones were snapped. In a few minutes, the bend came to 90 degrees, as if I had a second… Continue reading Painful, Part 2
Painful, Part 1
Now two weeks into recovery, I am, for the first time, attempting to keyboard and feeling ready to tell the story. I’d estimate that, since taking up road biking in 2008, I’ve rolled at least 40,000 miles. The only mishaps have been encounters with drivers who chose to pull across the double yellow line directly… Continue reading Painful, Part 1