Archive

Tag Archives: courage

bone spur

June 9, 2025
Uncategorized
Leave a comment

bone spur

here is a foot with a genuine bone spur.

the owner of the foot has lived with the spur

for more than fifty years, managing

to play tennis, football, the other football, capture the flag, and king of the mountain;

managing to finish three marathons, six half-marathons, and dozens of 10K footraces;

managing to climb piestewa peak’s summit trail at least ten times and its circumferential trail at least four times; managed to climb atop camelback mountain at least three times; has taken the peralta trailhead to a good view of the weaver’s needle in the superstition mountains at least twice, once carrying a toddler on his back;

has managed the bone-spur pain and sensitivity mostly without medication;

has managed not to talk about it at any length till now, when its relevance trends every now and then.

the owner of this bone-spurred foot

avers that a bone spur need not be an impediment for ANY sort of activity

though that activity may be accompanied by the occasional yelp.

this has been a public service announcement

and an excuse to brag.

please Vote.

Grabbing and Shaping Reality

November 1, 2022
Uncategorized
Leave a comment

I was walking on a sidewalk in the heart of Phoenix, southbound on the west side of Third Street, South of McDowell but north of Portland, when I looked up and saw that both a work of art and a construction crane were in the field of view. And off to the right was Grace Lutheran Church, whose marquee invited virtual visitation via www dot graceinthecity dot com — an admirable choice of domain name.

With every footstep my perceived reality changed. Curiosity compelled an approach to the artwork.

It was not possible to get much closer due to the area being fenced off. But even a few footsteps change the perceived reality to include power lines over the image, and though they do not interfere much with the artwork, they enhance in an urban/infrastructure sort of way.

Continuing southbound brought the distant crane closer and closer. This necessitated more and more neck-tilting, which definitely alters the perceived reality of an arthritic 68-year-old man not currently taking pain medication.

On the left end the name DUNN is lit up. Because of my propensity for bad puns, I thought it might be better to leave the name unlit until the construction was finished.

What IS Reality, Friends? Wherever you are, you’ve just had a limited tour of a small section of sidewalk in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, USA, Earth, Sol system, non-lethal sector of the Galaxy we call the Milky Way, a name both extraordinarily inapt and spot-on. The images you have seen were altered with photoediting software to be less drab, but they also have improved detail, so the word Fakery both does and does not apply. What a wonderful time we live in, viewed from the aspect of the new superpower almost all of us have of being able to grab and shape Reality through the use of a pocket device.

My last thought for you takes us back to the beginning, a simple stroll down a city sidewalk, and the simple truth that the #1 factor of perceived reality is Proximity. Friends, a better reality awaits those who have the courage to approach it.

n.e.s. #174 of 480

March 4, 2021
Uncategorized
Leave a comment

20210304_160701

A long time ago I read “At the Core,” a story by science-fiction author Larry Niven. (Fate-of-the-galaxy spoiler alert.) His protagonist Beowulf Schaeffer was hired by an alien race to pilot a superfast spacecraft to the galactic core. As Schaeffer gets closer he sees a lot of radiation. And as he gets closer yet he discovers that the galaxy is exploding, and in about 25,000 years the deadly radiation chain reaction will reach what is called “known space,” where humans and all aliens that humans have encountered dwell. Soon after Schaeffer reports this to his alien employers, the entire alien race prepares to leave the Galaxy. Schaeffer at first shrugs–who cares about 25,000 years from now?–but then wonders if the aliens, who are considered cowardly, might not be more courageous than we are. At minimum they recognize without denial the danger that they must face, and the sooner the better. Niven ends the story by having Schaeffer think, “Maybe it is the humans who are the cowards–at the core.”

Finishline Finishline: UnFinnish Business

November 30, 2018
Uncategorized
Leave a comment

Someone in Finland sees and reads some of these posts, or so says the WordPress statistics generator. Person in Finland, hello. I am a fan of your country. I hope to visit it soon. I got a hint as to your country’s greatness when I read Robert A. Heinlein’s advice in his polemic “Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry? Stand Up and Be Counted!” He said, “…remember brave little Finland–and keep your powder dry!” So I am remembering Finland, and though I use the American pronunciation of “Finnish” to make of the title of this post a bad pun, my admiration for your country is unalloyed.

Today I provisionally conclude Project Finishline. Since I learned during the project that “Finish” is merely when you cease focus, I have exercised irony and presented a seemingly Unfinished second image. Consider it an opportunity to view the creative process mid-stream, and possibly to finish it yourself.

Thank you, readers, especially the Finnish contingent, for your attention!