At two years of age, Henry moves his body with an economy suggestive more of wise elder than young poodle pup. Neither skip nor squirm betrays enthusiasm or interferes with the silent, zen-like bearing of his slender ten-pound frame.

Friends talk about their brains, relieved to learn the acclaimed organ accommodates change–even in older age.

I visit friends when a single, laser-sharp bird call pierces the outdoors where we gather. Stunned by its raw beauty and bold delivery, we scan our surroundings for a glimpse …

My unmet desire for a life based on the comfort of prescribed roles morphs slowly into an ‘inner odyssey’ of creative adventure. 

Home feels emptier now. Not just because your cat box and extra supplies are gone, or that your pillow and food dishes are put away …

Midwestern prairie strikes me inconsolably barren when I first visit: vast swaths of flat earth, featureless corn fields, incessant wind, brutal heat.