My heart was still racing thirty minutes into the swim, my arms and legs flailed, there was no ease or even any discernible rhythm to my body’s movements in the green murky water. I concentrated on just trying to move fast in my failing effort to burn off the energy my nervous system released. I … Continue reading What Made Me Swim Across the Deep Dark Lake
fear
Do Not “Like” This
My high school English teacher, Mrs. Michael, rarely gave compliments or A’s. She was renowned throughout the school for her high standards and tough grading. I never got above a 'B' until one noteworthy essay my senior year. When I wrote the essay, however, I didn’t think it was noteworthy at all. It seemed … Continue reading Do Not “Like” This
Facing My Fear of “Not Getting It”
It’s hard to admit that I often dread the process of learning new things. I worry that I won’t get “it,” whatever the “it” is. This is why I quietly cringed recently when my son opened up a birthday gift from his brother, the board game Settlers of Catan. I knew he would eventually ask … Continue reading Facing My Fear of “Not Getting It”
The Price She Paid for Fear
She used her finger to draw an imaginary line down the rental car’s backseat, an objectively minor act of dominance by any standard. It was more a suggestion of what she wanted. An invisible plea: You stay on your side and I’ll stay on mine. She knew, of course, that it was unlikely to keep … Continue reading The Price She Paid for Fear
When Crows Yell Freeze
Sometimes I will be sitting on my back porch and something will shift in the yard. The Tufted Titmice, for instance, will fly from the bird feeder in groups of ten at once, a sudden rush to leave. It is that specific feeling of emergency that makes me look up from my work. The wind … Continue reading When Crows Yell Freeze