• #195
    Nov 17, 2012

    Finding Light in a Black Hole

    Grainy Darkness
    A Suprising, Uncomfortable Moment of Truth

    The fifteen seconds after my fall held a moment of truth for me. I’ve failed so many times in stressful or frenetic situations; but for a few minutes and while a few stories below the Lewisburg, WV, airport, I pulled it together and pressed through my aloneness, insufficiency, and pain to find the spoonful of composure hidden in my chest.

  • #187
    May 22, 2012

    A Different Rest for the Weary

    image purtchased from iStockPhoto.com
    Vacation Strategy

    I’m flying, floating, then riding a bus to what’s rated as one of the most grueling hikes in North America—a rugged wilderness described by trail alumni on YouTube as a place where nobody escapes a battered body. In fact, the Canadian Coast Guard and Parks Canada medevacs or otherwise rescues up to nine people a week from this stretch of ground—when only 52 people per day are allowed to enter the trail.

    When I tell people where I’m going, I get two general responses. The first: “That sounds awesome!” and more often: “Not me. Why would you do that?” For the crowd who fall in that second camp, let me walk you through the reasoning.

  • #141
    Sep 5, 2010

    Chasing My Lost Words

    Writing Around the Globe
    Writing Sabbatical

    In the fourteen years since English 101, I have discovered my personal voice, the joy in the struggle of the craft, and the wrestling mat where I make sense of the world.

  • #122
    Dec 27, 2009

    Axiom of the High Seas

    Herd Mentality
    Cruise Tourism

    Somewhere amidst the Hawaiian shirts and bridge-playing fogeys, French-fried buffets and almost-innumerable hand sanitizer dispensers, Crystal and I surrendered to tourism.

  • #119
    Nov 9, 2009

    Whimpy New Heights

    Hangliding in Ridgely
    Courage Failure

    I had not challenged myself as I’ve grown the reputation of doing, and we all knew it.

  • #112
    Sep 24, 2009

    Introspective Adrenaline

    Whitewater Rafting
    Considering Legacy

    Today, one of my clients wished me a weekend free of injury, as “me and the boys” tackle the Gauley River marathon: 26+ miles of whitewater with 100 classed rapids, a handful of which are class V or V+. I told Marla, “Well, it’s not likely I’ll get hurt. It’s one of those deals where [...]

  • #79
    Jun 16, 2008

    The Line of Personal Truth

    Climb Max Gym
    Ragged Edge Accomplishment

    There’s one line, for me, that always seems as thin as a moment, at most a few minutes: the line between I can’t and I just did.

  • #66
    Feb 29, 2008

    Bye, Bye, Miss America Vanilla

    Vanilla America
    Bucking Stereotype

    We smirked at the implication: America is vanilla.

  • #52
    Sep 16, 2007

    The Swimmer

    The Swimmer
    White Water Danger

    “Yeah, dude. Jimmy earned his tip today. This is what I paid for,” I’d reply. “And I’m just happy to be here.”

  • #43
    Jun 21, 2007

    Courage and a Best Buy® Card

    Giving Blood
    Hang Gliding & The Red Cross

    There’s substance beyond the conquering, below the dreams crossed off life’s to-do list, above the totem pole carved for legacy.

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