Without a physical presence, what determines a soul's likeness — There's a bit of dialogue from 'What Dreams May Come' that I find particularly thought provoking. As Robin Williams' character muses over his own, strangely new existence in the spirit realm, he remarks that his physical body hasn't changed. This prompts his afterlife guide to question, "You think you're wearing…

I've become my own lab rat — I haven't laid eyes on a TV screen in 8 days. Today marks week #2 of no television; a self-imposed embargo and experiment. Last Sunday, I unplugged all its umbilicals and deftly wrapped my little 32" set in mover's plastic. It felt like I was gagging & blindfolding an unwilling…

I'm not above stooping to metaphysical graft — Once again, we watch as a jackpot rises into 'Russian oligarch' range; more than half a billion dollars. That’s enough to tempt anybody, even though we know the odds of winning are equally astronomical. But what if you had a slight edge? Whether you consider it psychic ability, intuition or…

Death isn’t the end of the journey by a long shot — She was killed by a drunk driver when I was still a teenager. As the center of my world, her death left me with a gaping wound. I was inconsolable and even years after her departure, still felt anchorless and empty. …

Dismantling a life before it's over — My mother carefully documented my earliest years, marking each photo of me with the date & my age in months. Tossed 'em all in the garbage can. There were many elementary school portraits; the same awkward, unflattering images reproduced multiple times in wallet-sized snapshots. Chucked them out as trash. Then…

Trouble is, I was right. — It’s practically a rite of passage for anyone in healthcare. Once you start studying diseases, you begin seeing those same symptoms within yourself. Headaches turns into paranoia about brain tumors; a case of flu becomes cholera; indigestion might be pancreatitis, etc. Eventually, you realize you are not dying and all…

One I officially reported got the attention of experts — First, anyone who’s ever experienced déjà vu has technically had a precognitive dream. That means almost everyone has the capacity to glimpse the future through their dreams. And it’s been known to happen,.. …

I'm trying to laugh rather than scream — According to Wikipedia, a trigger law is a nickname for a law that is unenforceable, but may achieve enforceability if a key change in circumstances occurs. So our legislators can pass laws that do not apply, serve no purpose and aren't legally enforceable. How the F is that even legal? …

Where's Matthew McConaughey when I need him? — The term patronage means support, assistance, promotion, advocacy. Today, it's usually associated with retail and consumerism. However, the word had a very different connotation ages ago. Patronage has a long history, dating back to ancient times, but it really took off during the Renaissance. With their needs amply met and…