Celtics ☘️ Sentinel

 The car crash is in the rear view mirror, but the "impact" remains . This is a tale of staying alive and well when catastrophe strikes - how luck, both good and bad , plays a major role - and how "Earth Angels" can come to your rescue when things head south. My wife, Linda, and I were heading north from a winter getaway in South Carolina when tragedy struck. An ill-constructed, short, abrupt  highway merge on Route 95 in North Carolina sent our car into the path of a large box truck. The enormous impact sent our vehicle spinning into the middle of the busy highway, and I felt we may not survive the crash . The air bag had deployed - the car was demolished - the engine had stalled - and the car was facing south in the north-bound lane, facing oncoming traffic. But at least our strongly-constructed Honda CRV, the seatbelts and air bag had done their jobs. We didn't have a scratch. My mind raced faster than I can write about my thoughts . My 20 years as a ...

  Survival is not just about staying alive and healthy following physical attacks, illness and injuries. It also involves making the right decisions at the right time . I have had three medical conditions that could have been life-threatening , and NONE of those maladies had any symptoms. "Your first symptom may have been to drop dead" --- My thoracic surgeon Several years ago, my doctor picked up a very faint heart murmur and sent me to a cardiologist. The cardio specialist did some tests and determined I had aortic stenosis . My heart's aortic valve was clogged and would continue to get worse. That was the bad news. The good news was that by the time I needed a valve replacement, the operation could be done without cutting my chest open. The new valve would simply be implanted via an artery in the groin area. The procedure, known as TAVR , was done two-and-a-half years ago, up to which time I had ZERO symptoms. Prior to the operation, my thoracic surgeon told me what...

 The fiddleheads and orpine are out on the banks of the trout stream bordering my property in Northern New Hampshire. I will have to wait a bit for the wild blueberries, blackberries, high bush cranberries, wild lettuce and the various edible mushrooms . Fiddleheads I have always had an interest in wild foods, but lately I have tried to learn more about them. It is not about the fact that they are free, since locating and foraging for them can take time and effort. But their nutritional value makes it all worthwhile. Orpine That wild blueberry that you pick has "learned" to survive on its own against insects, disease and fungus. Particularly i n its blue-colored skin there are organic chemicals, including polyphenols, that produce that color - protect the berry - and possibly protect the person that consumes it from disease. Wild Blueberries So learn about wild foods, They are all around you. And look for color - red, green, yellow, orange, purple, blue . But be cautious ....

 Still can not fully comprehend being 80 years old and 32 years-retired from law enforcement. If the following sounds harsh - it was meant to be. I am the love survivor of a family of five - with none of my dad, mom, sister and brother having lived past 64 . My best high school friend died at 62 . My college roommate died a few years ago , and my best adult friend put a.38 special slug through his brain four years ago, leaving behind several million dollars for his "kids" that didn't deserve it. Carson Thomas Lane watching his great grandfather on TV My former boss also took his own life by hanging himself, leaving behind a thriving business that his children had no interest in acquiring. Also, the only business partner I ever had ended his life with an intentional overdose of drugs. Neither ever saw retirement, contented or otherwise. As I write this, the sun is shining into the oceanfront condo where we spend our winters - temperature is in the 60's - I have al...

 A life-or-death ordeal for a New England lobsterman in the frigid North Atlantic waters The lobsterman's thoughts were not focused on possibly dying - but rather on finding a way to survive in the December waters off the New England coast. When I asked the fisherman how he kept alive, he answered simply, "It's a mental thing". It was early afternoon in December  and this was supposed to be a routine run of checking lobster traps.  That all changed when he slipped on the deck of his boat and fell into the frigid water.  The boat was on auto pilot, and the only other deck hand did not immediately notice that his partner was no longer on the boat. Now afloat in the frigid water, the lobsterman watched as his boat kept pulling away from his location. Adding more to the dilemma, the seasoned fisherman was being carried away from the boat in the opposite direction by the tides. The water temperature for the New England water in December normally registers in the low-to-m...

The quote is mine.  "When you stop moving, your body shuts down." --- Tom Lane I gave that advice to my older brother when I mnoticed he had put a stop to most activities. He reiterated my advice on a few occasions but didn't follow it. He died in his sleep at the age of 64. My grand daughter, Courtney, was born with a fatal disease, Cystic Fibrosis. I was told by one of my clients, also afflicted with the dreaded disease, that girls often don't take the medications or do the other procedures to remain alive longer. Courtney followed that path somewhat - fighting back from near-death a couple of times - but not being proactive. In other words, she would go into "deep survival" mode when facing death, but wouldn't always take proactive measures to help herself. I transmitted my quote to Courtney. She remembered it but didn't follow it. Courtney died at the age of 25, nine months after publication of the article. She had been refused a double-lung tran...