Seeing with New Eyes

I watched a documentary the other day.* It was about these crazy mountain climbers who attempted to climb the uncharted Mount Meru. They slept on the side of a cliff inside nothing more than some poles and tent material as avalanches fell around them. One man suffered a stroke and kept going in order to make it to the top. They ate a few tablespoons of frozen couscous and came down resigned to a temporary wheelchair and trench foot. What in the world possesses people to do these things? And not just once!  I've always been fascinated by these kinds of movies. Something about the death-defying adventure seeking gives me that weird pit in my stomach. I admire these seemingly fearful men and women, and yet I have no desire to follow in their footsteps (or their carabiner lines). A few thoughts came to mind as I reflected on this thrill-seeking life: every human, at one point, desires to reach the top of their own peak. This may not just be a physical peak. How we attempt to get...

Have you ever been to the doctor sure that you are sick with something very serious and the doc just smiles after the examination? That exact thing happened last night. Jocelyn has been on medication for an ear infection for the past week, and she began complaining her ear was hurting again. She pointed to space right behind her hear. If you google ear infection, pain behind the ear, it is not good. I began to panic a bit. We hopped in the car at 745pm and headed to urgent care. After an hour of waiting and most likely contracting about 4 strains of the flu not a part of this year's flu shot, we were escorted into the examining room. My 7-year-old complained a few times in the room about her pain, but she definitely did not seem sick. Our doctor arrived, looking a bit disheveled and exhausted from his day. He asked a few questions and then had a look into her ears, nose, and throat. He pressed around her glands and then behind her ear. She winced a bit. "What do you think, d...

We attempted to roller skate at Skate City today. It's been a while for me. My kids, on the other hand, have never truly set skate in such a rink. Kids, big and small, got out on the floor and rolled their way around to some DJ remixes and old school tunes. Some people glided with ease, while others could barely stay upright. Some kiddos needed their wheels tightened to keep them skating, and a few had roller "walkers" to help them along. What every person had in common is the direction they were headed. And that they wanted to have a little fun. Every so often someone would fall. The skates would wobble, and confidence waned. They would hit the wall or fall forward. Sometimes the other skaters nearby would get caught up and fall down too. Never once did they stay there, lying on the floor.  Each victim to the skates either got up on their own or had a little help. At some point in their fall, they resolved to get up and keep going. As we enter 2018, why not take t...