Cowboy Bob Sorensen

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Today, Charlene has been gone for two years, but I think about her every day. Several times a day. Previous I mentioned that setting aside a day for memories does not work well because she is so frequently on my mind. But I can ponder my personal changes. Although I am alone with few friends and no family nearby, I hope that my thoughts and insights may be helpful to others. One again I want to emphasize that grief experiences are unique for each person. Indeed, each loss has a different response. Near center of walkway across Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Due to grief and other circumstances (still recovering from open-heart surgery), for a while I considered the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge as a jumping-off point. Those ideations are gone, and I recently walked on the bridge. Great day for pictures! The anniversary of her father's passing is September 19, the day before her own. Also, I had a recent cardiologist visit and i...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen We all have various reactions to different kinds of alarms, whether conditioned, learned, or provided by the Master Engineer. Some reactions may be a combination of inner and learned, such as reaching for a gun or freezing in place at hearing a growl in the dark. When the smoke alarm goes off, we take some kind of action. Sirens from emergency vehicles prompt us to locate the sources and get out of the way. We several built-in alarms. Credit: Morguefile / Stuart Whitmore Something goes bang, you look in the direction of the sound. Hearing a strange noise at night can wake many people up so they can check it out or call the police. One time, I sat upright in bed because I had stopped breathing and disremembered to continue, but that passed. Smelling smoke, with or without an audible alarm, can get you moving. Taking hold of a hot pan sends a very fast message in your system to let go in a hurry.  Animals have inner alarms too, of course. Sometimes I...

Can you spare a couple of minutes?  I have to deal with spells of depression (and will not go back on the meds after several years away from them),  and have a tendency to look on the dark side of life. But still, this is important. (Did you know that Elijah, Jonah, and others in the Bible struggled with bouts of depression? Well, never mind about that now.) I'm saying that I get a bit reflective, possibly more often than some folks. My parents and oldest brother have passed away. None of that was a shock, we knew their times were near. Several years ago, someone I knew who had self-medicated with a powerful medication she bought on the street overdosed and died, never having reached age 30. A couple of weeks ago, one of the few people I met on the Internet and also met in real life died. Then I learned that Kerry Stoutenburgh of Kingston, NY was swimming in Maryland, and "died from a rare infection caused by an amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri". She ...