what does it feel like to publish? A book published. Mission accomplished and proof of value in a perfect case-bound hardback with a bio photo in the back. It feels different from the way I imagined it. It's not like winning a race, arms over head as the ribbon breaks across the chest. Nor does it feel like a completion...just somewhere farther along. At the NYC book launch event last week, I looked up after signing a book, hoping my signature wouldn't smudge, and realized this was just like...

when do I get to the top? I have climbed a few mountains - not tall enough for specialized gear and oxygen tanks, but climbing nonetheless. Growing up in Alaska, there were more than a few peaks to explore. Looking up at mountains from below, I imagine what it must be like on top, to sit on the knife's edge and see the world spread out below. But after clambering upward for a few hours to see for myself, it rarely feels quite like being "on top of the world". More often than not, a top is...

summer begins. For me, Memorial Day weekend and the start of summer this year was mostly wet. Was it a disappointment? Maybe. Rain delays disrupt the game and we are forced to wait it out. Summer days are supposed to overflow with sunshine. But do you remember delight as you jumped from puddle to puddle in rubber boots? Or huddling close under a too small umbrella? What about that golden sound of rain drops hitting a tin roof? I'll never forget riding through a rainstorm in a friend's...