Personal Experience Articles
Mountain Bike Mamma
It is good that I had not seen the mountain bike course in advance, or I might have chickened out. It was unbelievable terrain: steep hills, gravel, creeks, logs, switchbacks, hillside trails a foot wide with steep drop-offs, logs, little bridges, big patches of rumbly roots, large rocks, boggy spots, logs...
Reflections on a Bicycle Ride
The thrill of riding my bike begins with the anticipation as I change into my cycling clothes. I bound out the door and down the back steps toward the garage, feeling excitement at the touch of sun on my face, the wind in my hair, knowing that I am in for a holistic experience that enlivens every part of me: the sensual, emotional, physical, spiritual, and the intellectual.
The Butterflies of October
I came across a bedraggled mourning cloak butterfly drawing sustenance from one of numerous crushed crab apples on the sidewalk. Its broken and battered wings flapped silently as it drank. The sight of it-- coupled with the scent of apples and the clear October air--took me back thirty years to the autumn I worked as an apple picker at an orchard in New Hampshire, and I paused a moment there on the concrete, remembering.
Haunted by Anna
I noticed the little blonde girl, sitting on a wall at the edge of the yard. Her arms were crossed in front of her, her legs drawn in closely, protectively. Her little face, half hidden behind overgrown bangs, bore an expression of tension and fear. I had to go talk to her.
The One Essential Thing My Friends Have in Common
My friends are diverse and unique, so I had to think about this for a while, trying to discern what one essential thing they have in common.
"That Integrity Thing"
I followed through on my commitment and accepted the supervisor's defeat of me regarding the event, but I kept true to myself, a much more important success.
Peace Dove
When a thing of importance is lost, it is good to replace it with something new.
Godspeed Landing Party Festival
For five days between May 27 and June 3, 2006, I volunteered for the Godspeed Landing Party Festival in Alexandria, VA--part of the "80-day sail of the newly commissioned replica Godspeed, bringing a bit of American history to six major ports along the eastern seaboard."
Quondam HOG Mamma
Father's Day offered an unusual opportunity: hanging out with Harley riders.
Athlete's Heart
The ambulance crew could not detect a pulse and their monitor could not determine my blood pressure. Even my carotid artery offered no clue to my heart rate. The hospital's equipment did no better for some time; the automatic PB cuff kept resetting iself, searching for enough input to register. Still, since the pain had subsided to a large degree, I was talking and making jokes, much to the surprise of the EMTs in attendance. Finally, the monitor gave us a number: 64/40 and 40 bpm. The medical staff shook their heads in disbelief. They could not understand how I could be conscious and coherent with numbers like that.
Troublemaker in the ER
I had forgotten ER protocol. I failed to recall that hospital personnel like patients to sit down, be quiet, and accept the staff's authority without question. Uh-oh. Not a good combination, self-appointed authorities and me.
Sailing Lessons
As a 10-year-old girl, I fell in love with sailing the first time I set foot aboard a sailboat...All else fell away; I was not aware of time, and the only thing that mattered was steering the craft as we passed beneath the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Sailing Again
I went sailing in a real boat for the first time in 29 years!