Notes from Vanaprastha:
Reflections on Faith, Nature, and Writing
You can make it if you hurry, then slow hurry down
“We can just make it if you hurry,” her husband shouts over the roar of two skiffs’ engines, hers and his. Their boats are heavy with salmon pulled from the Gulf of Alaska, and they must deliver their catch to the tender on time. That means, instead of going around...
What do I dedicate myself to in the third stage of life?
When we woke to steady rain on Saturday morning, I wondered, “What do I dedicate my time to today?” Not yard work or dog-walking or housecleaning or cooking, since Keith was going to our church’s Men’s Breakfast and would only want a snack later. Yes, to reading,...
We all suffer loss, but do we suffer for what is right?
I knew I should suffer well, but when twinges zapped my leg in the middle of the night, my pain meter rocketed from zero to ten in a split second. While massaging my leg, stretching, and walking out the electrical shock-like twinge-cramps, I told myself,...
Opportunities for respite, relief, short periods of rest
Respite, that’s what I needed this morning, as I looked at the gooey mess on the basement floor and muttered, “Give me a break.” Relief, a short period of rest before I tackled my to-do list. So, after cleaning up the molasses and glass from the jar that had rolled...
Spoil fun, spoil children, spoil of war—is spoil always negative?
Because Keith and I dislike wasting food, because of spoil, we often begin our week on Sunday by grocery shopping together after church. Here’s yesterday’s haul. Keith enjoys shopping because it’s a way for him to exercise his curiosity. Though not an avid shopper...
Consume: to eat, drink, buy, buy, buy, and use it up
Keith and I invited our neighbor to watch the Super Bowl with us last night and to consume the sheet pan nachos I made: tortilla chips, seasoned ground beef with onions, pinto beans, and cheese baked then topped with minced red onion, pickled jalapeno slices, diced...