“Oh man, you’re tight!” Jimmy says as he as he probes his powerful thumbs into my shoulder muscles. “Aieeee! You better believe it!” I laugh. Laughing when you’re in pain seems to be a guy thing. “What have you been doing? We gotta fix ...
I have a birthday coming up. I will be eighty and I’m dreading it. I feel like my foot is caught in the railroad tracks with a freight train barreling towards me, its whistle blowing and its headlamp spinning madly as it bears down on ...
My wife Susan pulls out her old, weathered copy of the Study Guide for Marriage and Family Therapy, and opens it to a well turned-down page. Tears come to her eyes as she reads a quote by clinical psychologist David Schnarch: “Intimacy ...
Just over a year ago my wife Susan and I decided to get a puppy. Not just any puppy, but an Australian Shepherd puppy. Aussies, as they are often called, are herding dogs, known for being incredibly smart, loyal, and energetic. I have ...
Where else, but on Maui, can you go to a trendy sushi bar in a tiny upcountry town and talk to a dear friend about forgiveness and compassion, and then get involved in a conversation (over a frosted bottle of Ginjo Sake) with a pro ...
I don’t go to many weddings. The last wedding I attended was my own, when I married Susan four years ago. Before that, it was my son Peter’s wedding almost thirteen years ago. So, it was a bit of a stretch for me to fly 5,000 ...
Susan and I arrive early for Dale’s gathering. We open the back gate and walk through a small courtyard that adjoins his studio. A gnarly 8-foot high piece of wood sits off to one side, along with several wooden packing crates. As we ...
Tom is sitting on the sand at the water’s edge, his knees drawn up, putting on his “NoShark” ankle band. With his long limbs and full-length black wet suit, he looks like some strange sea creature. He carefully wraps the heavy-duty ...
Every week a group of us hold a meditation at my home, which we irreverently call, “Popcorn, Wine, & Meditation.” We meditate for 25 minutes, enjoy some popcorn, watch different teachers on YouTube and share our experience. Over ...
When I was first a tourist on Maui, I used to enjoy sending postcards to my friends. Rather than sending the usual colorful images of turtles, whales and waterfalls, I had fun sending a card that was all shiny and black. On the bottom ...
