-
What Channel are you Listening to?
“Please come home! A tornado is coming through our county!” I yelled at my husband over the phone. We had recently moved to an area where tornadoes were prevalent, from a country where they’re unheard of, so my anxiety level rose to the max. “Who told you that?” he responded. “I heard it on the radio just now. What do I do? Where do I go? We don’t have a basement?” “Calm down,” he said. “You’re listening to the wrong channel! It’s the same name, but they’re talking about another state!” All the fear, anxiety and worry melted off my body. “You can’t believe everything you hear,” he added. “Make…
-
Angel on the Sidewalk
The bright sun and blue skies screamed Spring that Saturday afternoon. “I’m so sorry I can’t help you,” my husband said as he hugged me tight,” but you know that medical residents are expected to work long shifts and get no free weekends during first year of training.” We were in a new country, a new city and had no friends, which forced me to navigate my way through our new reality on my own. I grabbed the Yellow Pages, the only resource before cell phones and GPS’ existed, searching for a park in the area. Venturing out was an attempt to calm my lonely heart as much as our…
-
¿Sabes como Esquiar?
“Apúrate que la competencia ya va a comenzar,” me llamó mi esposo. Agarré las palomitas de maíz y corrí a la sala para ver las Olimpiadas de Invierno. “¿Como pueden esquiar tan rápido en esa montaña sin chocar con los árboles?” pregunté. “Se enfocan en lo que quieren y no en lo que los puede detener,” me contesto. “Así lo explico uno de los comentaristas.” Me fui a Google a comprobarlo. De acuerdo con Rei.com: Escanear el terreno frente a ti para ajustarte a los árboles, rocas, ramas y otros obstáculos que se puedan atravesar en tu camino. No te enfoques en los árboles, sino más bien en los espacios…
-
Do you Know how to Ski?
“Hurry up, the race is starting!” my husband called. I grabbed the popcorn and rushed to the living room to watch the Winter Olympics’ ski competition. “How can they go down that mountain so fast without hitting all those trees?” I wondered. “Focus on what you want, not what might stop you,” he said. “That’s what the commentator explained.” My fingers raced to Google just the same. According to Rei.com: Scan the terrain ahead of you as you go so you can adjust to trees, rocks, stumps and other obstacles that may be in your way. Don’t fixate on the trees, but rather the white spaces between them—this will help…
-
Are you a Tight Rope Walker?
“Why are you covering your eyes?” my husband asked. “It’ll be over before you know it.” “I can’t look!” I cried, “What if he falls to his death?” We were watching a video of Nik Wallenda walking across a Grand Canyon gorge on a tight rope. My heart raced and stomach curled up in a knot. “Can you hear him?” he asked, “He’s praising and thanking Jesus!” I had to open my eyes to verify the unexpected declaration. In an interview afterwards he declared: “it took every bit of me to stay focused”. He said that dust had accumulated in his contacts and called the walk unusually stressful. However, he…
