June 13, 2013
Spain: Initial Reflections
I felt like I could have written this piece after only one week of walking on The Way of St. James. That's how quickly the spiritual stimuli started piling on in my neurotransmitters. I thought I was prepared for the myriad of cliches surrounding this network of pilgrims' routes in Spain. I was prepared for [...]
February 15, 2013
The Healing Power of Walking
"Solvitur ambulando: It is solved by walking."- Augustine I had a rough evening a few nights ago. From 8 at night until 2 in the morning, my blood glucose was in the high 400s and low 500s-dangerously high. I had eaten very normally all day, so this was not caused by ingesting too many carbs. [...]
February 12, 2013
Seeking New Geographies
Bicycling through the hills from Topton to Dryville one Tuesday morning in August of 2012, I came to a fork in the road. To the right was Carl's Hill, a short, very steep climb with a hard 90-degree turn near the top. To the left was Smoketown Hill, which was a more gradual climb but [...]
January 5, 2013
Archetypes Defined: The Final Four
Don't know what an archetype is? Check out this post for a primer, and read this post for a discussion of archetypes #1-3. Archetype #4: Exploration and Discovery From Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: "The fact is that creation has never stopped. The creative act is one huge continual gesture, drawn out over the totality of time. [...]
November 14, 2012
Archetypes Defined: The First Three
Don't know what an archetype is? Check out my last post. Archetype #1: The Quest I always felt that the Walk Across America was a quest, akin to the search for the holy grail or the odyssey of Ulysses. I was on a quest to confront the dragon of diabetes-not to slay it, necessarily, but merely [...]
September 28, 2012
Calling Forth the Inspirations of Mythological Archetypes
Don't let the heaviness of that title fool you. It's actually quite simple. In 1997, as I was walking across America, I developed a set of themes, motifs or tropes that helped get me through some tough times. They were especially helpful in reframing my perspective during times of rough weather, general malaise, physical sickness [...]
August 21, 2012
The Aging of Body and Machine
I took my old motorhome out of winter storage a month ago. It has served me well since 2001, when I purchased it for An Adventure on the Rim of America. It's a 1993 Chevy, small, only 21 feet in length, but perfect for hauling AV equipment, bicycles, spare bike parts and tires. We slept [...]
July 21, 2012
A Holistic Approach to Diabetes Management
I am a longtime believer in the concept of a holistic approach to health - a combination, in near equal parts, of mind, body and spirit. I aim for longevity but live in the joy of the moment, even if those moments are physically difficult. There have been many difficult times in my life. Some [...]
