Author Archives: John Swinburn

What makes some images pleasing to the eye and others not? Among the only answers I have found over the years is the tired, old “I may not know art (or beauty or whatever), but I know what I like.” … Continue reading →

Before the leaves turn vibrant colors, they lose their green vibrancy. A dull, greyish pall seems to envelop the forest, creating a depressing early-day atmosphere suited more to mourning than to morning. Or is it just me? Does the forest … Continue reading →

Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy and serenity. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~ I am not sure I am comfortable with the idea that we can have control or power over our … Continue reading →

We were able to see yesterday’s eclipse. A few weeks ago, I ordered a couple of pairs of eclipse-viewing glasses, which we used to look at the moon taking a bite out of the sun. While we were not in … Continue reading →

Oh, yes, it’s late! Quite late! I slept like a log last night, almost all night without interruption. When I woke, I heard a yowling cat and opened my eyes to a room thick with sunlight. Not the gentle sunlight … Continue reading →

Finally, some semblance of normalcy…as if normalcy were anything but fiction. That notwithstanding, a return to an imaginary routine is more appealing than a roller coaster of relatively minor, but unpredictable, mental and physical chaos. Normalcy may be a hologram, … Continue reading →

Yesterday afternoon, we sat on the deck for quite some time, soaking in the coolish temperatures and listening to the wind make its way through the trees. There is a word for that sound: psithurism. When I learned that word … Continue reading →

More than a week ago, I stopped bothering to write my usual morning posts. For each of the four days before abandoning my morning routine, I wrote something, but the output was nothing more than wasted energy. During that time, … Continue reading →

Our respective illnesses are growing incredibly tiresome. We both are tired; fed up. I have never slept so much, nor felt so perpetually achy and…just sick. That is probably not true, but it is close. Yesterday’s high body temperature was … Continue reading →

Simultaneous sickness is not conducive to anything positive. Mi novia got absolutely no sleep last night and most of the past several nights. I, on the other hand, have done almost nothing but sleep or vegetate in bed for the … Continue reading →

These monster ailments affecting us have led us to conclude making our trip to St. Paul is not wise. As much as I long for a road trip and as much as I’d like to see Peter Mayer again, and … Continue reading →

Headache. Chills. Fever, perhaps. Aching muscles and joints. Extremely tired. Whatever it is, this cluster of symptoms is terribly uncomfortable. I napped yesterday from around noon to nearly six, I think. And then I got in bed shortly after six … Continue reading →

I am attempting to make an appointment to see a counselor; someone who might help slash the reeds of anxiety or depression that sometimes seem to withhold fresh air from my lungs and my life—even though nothing in particular seems … Continue reading →

The sky is just beginning to show signs of light. The sound of crickets fill the morning air. Sitting outside, on the deck, the cool temperature (63º) does not feel as comfortable as I expected, thanks to the absolute stillness … Continue reading →

Prolonged periods of stress—even low-level, seemingly insignificant stress—can wear a person down to the point of catastrophic collapse. The stress can be as inconsequential as a wart on one’s toe or the annoying music drifting in—night after night—from parties on … Continue reading →

Until I spent a week drinking my espresso every morning at my brother’s house in Mexico, I was satisfied with my French roast coffee. This morning, the difference between the two is so obvious and the flavor of the espresso … Continue reading →

A high-speed taxi in the early morning darkness of a large, frenzied city waking as if fueled by high-test caffeine is a scary place to be. The car’s destination, an airport jammed with agitated pre-dawn travelers, shreds serenity with the … Continue reading →

Recent days have taught me more than I might want to know, but any knowledge—welcome or not—is fuel for both intellectual and emotional development. When I have time to process what I have recently learned, I will make an effort … Continue reading →

Powerful reasons exist for vacations lasting at least two weeks. Fourteen days, at a minimum, are necessary to sufficiently clear one’s head to enable recovery from even the modest pressures of the daily grind. Limiting vacations to less than two … Continue reading →

Across the wide lake, the homes and businesses are almost too far away to see. But they are there. Barely visible, the places where people live and work exist in secret…oh, they do not intentionally hide their day-by-day existence, but … Continue reading →

Art can be spectacularly beautiful, but even the most skilled, talented, visionary artist who specializes in realism cannot replicate the beauty of nature. Slivers of orange and pink and silver and grey woven among cottony white billows in the sky … Continue reading →

Cryptic messages filter through my mind, challenging me to interpret them. Every interpretation is right, but only in certain situations. If I wish the interpretations to be valid, I must insert myself into the correspondingly correct situations. This process is … Continue reading →

Paradise has different meanings for different people. For some, slot machines and the never-ending shrieks of the newly wealthy constitutes paradise. For others, it is white sand beaches littered with bikini-clad women. Others find paradise in ski resorts covered in … Continue reading →

Forgiveness struggles to survive in an environment in which anger is more highly valued than understanding.  Still, it survives, even growing stronger. Anger, though, withers into rancid dust, eventually lost to the winds of time. +++ November 18. 2023 will … Continue reading →

My foray into good news this morning led me, first, to a story of a 15-year-old lion returned to his natural habitat after being abandoned in a private zoo in Armenia for five years.  I then read about a way … Continue reading →