No doubt you have already read about Stop Stigma Together, the national Grand Challenge to eliminate the stigma around mental health and substance use disorders. You may have even seen the Ad Council’s PSAs, Love, Your Mind. Perhaps you have even signed up for the upcoming first National Summit to End Stigma, June 24-26 (which […]
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My daughter and I are training our dogs. In the picture above, we have taken them to a restaurant that has seating outdoors. We needed a place that had a lot of foot traffic so the dogs would learn to stay close to us in the midst of a lot of action. This was last
Driving home from dinner Saturday evening, we saw one of the brightest rainbows I’ve ever witnessed. The photo doesn’t do it justice. It was remarkable. Rainbows are a great metaphor as the raindrops in the sky refract sunlight, splitting it into the color spectrum from a particular angle. Similarly as a single source is viewed
I was preparing to cook some dal on Sunday when I looked out onto our deck. There, a tiny Buddha statue was sitting on the floor. As I looked out, I experienced a moment of tranquility. Saraswati, seen above, spends a lot of time next to our fruit bowl on our kitchen table. I enjoy
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My daughter, Ruchi, is training her dog, Divya, to be a service dog. Ruchi has a form of seizure, and Divya provides companionship that actually lowers the occurrences of the seizures. This picture was taken in a classroom on campus while a trained instructor was guiding Ruchi in how to work with Divya. Dogs provide
For 18 months after graduating from college, I apprenticed as a handyman. It was a ton of fun. Every assignment required me to learn something new, from fixing steps to repairing washing machines. That said, the window crank above flummoxed me this weekend, some 40 years later. Just could not figure it out and eventually
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I often carry string and instructions for tying knots with me. Knots are amazing, and I like to practice. Before we had tape or common access to staples, we had twine. There are so many knots born of the necessities of life, from transporting livestock to sending supplies. I love simple knots and watching them
My beloved Kaya wears this sign twice daily when I take her out for training. She is such a good learner. At first, she didn’t like the training harness, but now that she associates it with our time together outside, she lets me put it on with no problem. One of my favorite drills is
In Training. Do Not Pet. Read More »
During our first seven days in India we stayed at The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel Delhi. It was an exceptional experience. More important than the amenities were the people who served us. Always a warm greeting when we entered the hotel and when we ate in their restaurant, which was daily for breakfast. They quickly
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While I was in Delhi, India. last month I was overwhelmed by the living conditions of so many people. Their accommodations reminded me of how I live when I am camping except my situation is extremely temporary, by choice, and in the wilderness. Theirs is permanent, existential, and in a crowded urban landscape. What is
