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Channel: From left field – Renegade Element
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The only way out is through.

Today is is the last day of February, and it has been bitter cold. So cold you feel it deep in your bones. So cold you think you’ll never get warm. To be honest, it has suited my mood. I have struggled...

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Home of the brave.

A few days ago we celebrated Independence Day here in America. I was on the West Coast for a change, but we celebrate the same way everywhere — holiday, happiness, barbecue, beer, family, fireworks....

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Belonging.

When I was growing up, I was a loner. My father’s job as an engineer in charge of new plant startup and operation took us all over the United States and even the world, living in a new location for...

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Standing at the Red-y.

A year ago this month my youngest son, often referred to as DangerBoy, deployed to Afghanistan. I was woefully unprepared for this emotionally, and the fact that I was a reluctant supporter of his...

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Daring to fail.

I hate rejection. I hate not living up to expectations. I hate failure. If left up to my fight or flight response, I’d run every time. I will also avoid doing something I really want to do if it means...

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Driven.

I’ve been pretty quiet on the state of the world lately. As you’d imagine, I have some powerfully strong opinions on women’s role in society, and how we’ve all done more than enough to keep the...

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The call.

I shouldn’t have been able to receive the call. Up here in Northern Pennsylvania, I rarely get any reception and, as a result, I usually don’t have my phone with me while we visit. But last night, in...

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Lost connections.

Sometimes the bottom just falls out from under you. Sometimes you know it’s coming; you expect the call at any point. My dad has been in and out of the ICU for the last several weeks, and I wait for...

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Fathers and daughters.

Today my father passed away. It’s been at least a decade since we’ve spoken. I’m pretty sure he had long ago forgotten why; I’m uncertain if he ever regretted it. I only know we took our respective...

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The importance of pruning.

I’m not, under any circumstances, a gardener. I’m comfortable knowing my talents lie elsewhere. But I do a good job of faking it; I listen to people who know how these things work, and I’ve picked up a...

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The hot mess. 

It’s the first time in over a week that I’ve ventured out into a world with people. I’ve been avoiding the world in general, mostly because I can’t handle the prospect of witty repartee or sympathetic...

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Still life.

Despite nearing late September, the sun is bright in the sky. As is my norm on most summer weekends, I’m out on the deck reveling in the afternoon’s warmth, LoveJunkie sprawled at my side, recharging...

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Turbulence ahead. 

   We interrupt your conference fun for familial duty. We anticipate some rough turbulence ahead, but we’ll try to get you through it with minimum scarring. Hang in there and we’ll return you to your...

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Seeking closure.

Sunday evening found me sitting in the Detroit airport awaiting my fourth flight of the day to get me back to my starting point over 14 hours earlier. I’d flown to Omaha, Nebraska, from a conference in...

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Ziggy played guitar.

I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring. —David Bowie Confession: I’ve always had a secret crush on David Bowie. At any age, really. You could say I grew up to a Bowie...

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The perfect storm.

Last year was, in many ways, a transformational year for me. It was the first year after more than two decades of active parenting where there were no more kids in the house to tend to and care for. It...

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Failure: the struggle is real.

So, yeah. Workouts. I knew I should have waited longer to write about them. I knew that as soon as I said something about my working out and put it out there for the world to see, the irrational part...

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Part lies, part heart, part truth, part garbage.

“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?” is your Benzedrine, uh-huh I was brain-dead, locked out, numb, not up to speed I thought I’d pegged you an idiot’s dream Tunnel vision from the outsider’s screen I...

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Where the day takes you.

You never really quite know where the day will take you. Last Monday I was dragging my feet getting into work. It was the first day of classes at Penn State and experience has taught me that the...

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On impact.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a cautious person, but I’ve always had a healthy respect for automobiles — especially in a college town where pedestrians and cyclists play their own version of Frogger...

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