• Gratitude

    Oliver Sacks was a neurologist, naturalist and prolific writer. Facing the end of his life, a few years ago he wrote about his love for life and his gratitude for living. It is this sentiment that I wish to end this calendar year and begin a new one. He writes: “My predominant feeling is one of gratitude. Love has been received and love has been given. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.” Deleted: –Oliver Sacks “Gratitude” I agree with Sacks in that I feel enormous gratitude even in this past…

  • In flight

    The season of migration is upon us. Some of it we see right in front of our eyes and some of it goes unnoticed. I’ve been reading Helen Macdonald’s book Vesper Flights. She opens our eyes to the unseen flights of birds and other creatures. These are magical essays predominantly about nature. Macdonald is an expert writer on nature and you may have read her best-selling book — H is for Hawk. Helen is also a poet. She shows us many aspects of nature which will move us beyond the boundaries of our present lives. In the essay called “High Rise,” we venture into the city of New York to…