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...
Reading Your Writing
“This is the prologue to my book-length memoir tentatively titled Gretchen’s Journals: A Memoir about Honesty, Goodness and Lies.” I cleared my throat, tucked a stray hair behind my ear, took a deep breath then plunged. “I am a good girl. Let me explain…” Two weeks...
The Roles Dogs Play
Dogs have played a variety of roles in their long history of domestication. During wars, dogs served along with many other animals. As cited in Susan Orlean's book Rin Tin Tin, 16 million animals deployed in World War I: camels, cavalry and draft horses,...