Last week, on the same day that several kids at my older daughter’s Wisconsin soccer camp were ill from heat exhaustion, I had a phone call with my stepmother in California, where the Dixie fire had been spreading. Though it wasn’t yet close to where she and my father...
Shock Absorbers
The toothache began one day in March, a dull but pesky pain concentrated in my lower right molars. I paused, mid-chew, surprised by the sensation. Unlike other parts of my body, my teeth have always been a reliable entity. When I was younger, my mom told me I was...
March to March
Yesterday, the Ides of March, was a dreary, cold day, the type that reminds any Midwesterner why it’s foolish to stow away the snow shovel prematurely. As I took our dog for a walk, Lake Michigan roared in the distance and the sun hid behind a cloak of clouds....
A New Normal
COVID-19 is spreading around the world and life is getting stranger by the second. School districts are closing in droves and parents are scrambling to figure out what to do. Birthday parties, recitals, and sports events are being postponed indefinitely. Our phones are buzzing with updates from businesses assuring...
On Open Water Racing, Risk, and Responsibility
On June 9th, I rose before my 4:30 AM alarm with a mixture of excitement and trepidation buzzing through my veins. In a few hours, I would join 2,500 other wetsuit-clad competitors for a dip in the glistening waters of Lake Monona — the starting point of the Ironman...