Happy New Year

On my morning walk, I noticed: it’s a bit cooler and less humid. It feels like the start of something new. While it’s not January 1st, Labor Day and back to school advertisements makes it seem like a fresh start. You may not have any students in your life who are actually buying notebooks and…

The power of the sun

Fire is useful but also potentially dangerous, even lethal. One need only consider the devastation from wildfires to realize the potential for damage. While hiking at Red Rocks Canyon midday, the blazing sun was a force to be reckoned with. On an exposed trail with limited shade, it doesn’t take long to overheat. Fire, sun, heat–sometimes good…

Challenge the paradigm; change your perspective

After a hard landing following a parachute jump, I couldn’t feel or move my legs. With lengthy surgery and rehab, I regained movement and sensation—not quite as good as before, but better than expected post-injury. After moving to California, I became a patient at the Spinal Cord Injury Center (SCIC) at the Palo Alto Veterans…