Connection and Correction
I’ve written about Vanaprastha, the third stage of Hindu life when one retreats to the forest in pursuit of solitude. It is also a time to reap the rewards of one’s labor and reconnect with family and friends. Part of a connected harvest involves correction....
Buying a Ham
Last week, I stopped by the Food Lion on 5th Street SW near Route 64 on my way home from Charlottesville. I thought I’d buy a Ready-to-Cook ham for Keith to roast in the Big Green Egg. It was quiet in the store – only a few customers and employees. As I leaned over...
Living Fear
“The only thing I do is live,” said forty-year old Mario Sepulveda. He was one of the 33 men trapped for 69 days in Chile’s San Jose Mine in the Atacama Desert back in 2010. From birth when his mother died, Sepulveda’s life had been marked by violence and struggle;...
Seasonal Fruit
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven; a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted - Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 It’s peach season here in Central Virginia. About a week ago, I...
Modern Conveniences
I read somewhere that good health includes five elements: Physical Intellectual Spiritual Family and friends Community, both local and global. Here at Vanaprastha, we spend most of our time with elements two through five. We check news feeds and email, read widely...