Author: Gary Merel
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Bigger Than a Bread Box, Smaller Than a Refrigerator Facing my Mortality
I have been smacked in the face by the reality of my life. I have always been healthy. At 69, my blood work is perfect. I don’t take any prescriptions. I eat well. I’m not overweight, and I am physically fit. I thought I was exempt from the diagnostic testing that, at my age, we…
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I Received Some Very Unsettling News!
In my previous blog, I had written about being diagnosed with severe anemia resulting in the need for an immediate transfusion. I had also mentioned that I was scheduled for several medical procedures to figure out the cause of the anemia. A colonoscopy and endoscopy were performed. The results were not what I expected. I…
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This Is Not Supposed to Happen!
For a 69-year-old man, I am in reasonably good shape. I regularly do 30 to 40-mile bike rides 3 to 4 days a week. Add to that some rigorous hiking in the foothills of Tucson. I had been noticing that over the course of the last 2 to 3 months, my endurance began to diminish. …
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Our thoughts. Our beliefs. Do they always support us?
We all have a belief system. Our beliefs are influenced by family, friends, religion, politics, life experience, and general perceptions and experiences we accumulate throughout our lives. For some people, their belief system is fixed, unyielding, and without question. They might die to protect it. For others, their belief system is more flexible. More accommodating…
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Lost In The Desert
Since spending the last four months in Tucson, many of the blogs I have posted reference the Sonoran Desert. Tucson is a city interwoven into the fabric of the desert. The Sonoran Desert bears witness to 4000 years of continuous habitation. There are echoes of the past and voices of the present. I have spent…
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Finding Creativity
A few weeks ago, I attended The Linda McCartney Retrospective at the Center for Creative Photography on the University of Arizona campus. I found Linda’s photography moving and evocative. Many of the photographs portrayed intimate moments with Paul and her children. Because of her access to the lives of all the Beatles, many photos captured…
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I Have Some Resentment!
A few days ago, I hiked the Yetman trail. It is 11 miles out and back. I hike about 5 to 6 miles of the trail. The trailhead starts on the far west side of Tucson at the end of Grant Road. It is one of my favorite hikes. The terrain is moderate and follows…
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Getting My Needs Met!
I was having a conversation with a really good friend. We walk and we talk. Something we do often. We talk about issues significant to our lives. We’re about the same age. So we find ourselves talking about the same issues. Where we are at this point in our lives. Our significant relationships. What’s important…
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I Was Being Stupid and Selfish!
One of our family vacations was to Granada. A sleepy, off-the-beaten-path Caribbean Island. Myself, my wife, our daughter, and our niece packed our bags for a 10-day stay. We rented an amazing bungalow in the hills above the capital city of St. Georges. We landed on a truly tropical island. Bananas, breadfruit, mangoes and every…
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I’m A Very Lucky Dad
One of the most powerful enduring memories I have of my daughter is when her birth mother placed her in my arms. New Jersey adoption law requires that a birth mother directly place her child in the arms of the adoptive parents under the supervision of the attending medical staff. This exchange took place just…
Lean into your life 