Driving in the Dark

A few evenings ago, when my broken and surgically repaired elbow had healed sufficiently to be able to turn the steering wheel, and I had already driven my car to physical therapy two days before without a problem, I still asked Tony to drive me to my next PT appointment,…

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Driving with Bruce and an Uncomfortable Truth

It occurs to me as I approach the Interstate, that I’m about to follow a sign that I’ve been avoiding eye contact with for years. And this time I’m on my own. Well, except for Bruce the psychedelic sea turtle, a stuffed passenger I’ve named after my driving instructor. With…

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Fitting Out, Or No PhD No Problems

Not Getting on (the PhD) Track Not until senior year in college did I learn that not everyone has to earn PhD. That’s how I used to put it, anyway, and only half joking. My parents both had PhDs, their friends all (seemingly) had PhDs. I certainly knew that plenty…

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Green Happy Place

“I’m always afraid my first swim of every season,” a veteran triathlete told me at my second open water swim practice with a local triathlon club. More than a few good swimmers and determined triathletes told me stories of feeling fear or even having panic attacks in open water. A…

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One Buoy at a Time: Swimming in Open Water

From the sandy  beach, I followed the gaze of the triathlon club’s swim test official. He pointed to the buoys marking lengths across the roped off area of the lake; four lengths were required, roughly 200 yards. I regularly swim 2000 yard workouts in the pool and am barely winded after…

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