-
Bear Confusion Syndrome: The Emergence
There is a moment that arrives every spring here in the Adirondacks, usually sometime in April, usually without warning, when something shifts. The air changes. The light feels different on your face. You step outside and realize, with a small jolt of disorientation, that you feel alive again.
And then, almost immediately, comes the confusion.
You look back at the past several months and wonder: who was that? Who was the person who moved through the days in slow motion, who gained a few pounds, who responded to perfectly ordinary situations with a kind of gray, low-grade grumpiness?…
-
Encountering the Unexpected on Familiar Trails
Glimpse Ahead: Even the most familiar paths can surprise us. Sometimes what blocks our way becomes the very thing that reveals resources we didn’t know we were carrying. This essay looks at how things change when we don’t know what’s coming, and how the things that seem to hold us back can show us how we adjust to new situations.
When the Familiar Becomes Unfamiliar
I’ve walked this trail dozens of times. The same loop, the same landmarks, the same spot where I let the dogs wade, the same comforting sense of rhythm.…
-
Three Kinds of Stones: What Hinders, Grounds, and Guides Your Journey
Glimpse Ahead: The trail we walk is never just about distance. It’s shaped by what we notice, what we carry, and what we choose to mark. Stones are not just obstacles in our path, they are meanings, memories, and messages. They’re weathered by time and transformed by presence. In this reflection, I explore the soulful symbolism of Stones: what we carry, what we stumble over, and what we place with intention. And maybe, you’ll notice that the stones beneath our feet are also within us.
When the Trail Speaks in Stones
You’re walking a trail you’ve never taken before.…