A Near Death Experience: Back from the Brink

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Cognitive Dissonance

In an odd sort of way I am familiar with death, having danced around its perimeter all my life. A few of those waltzes can be attributed to close calls, near misses and other assorted near fatal brushes with death. But those were different from what I wish to describe in this piece.

A head on collision at 50 MPH (before the era of airbags and mandatory seat belts) unintentionally riding a motocross bike off a forty foot cliff, accidentally walking off the roof of a two story building or nearly having my arm swallowed by a whirling roaring mechanical beast, to name just a few, is just not the same as cardiac arrest and cessation of respiration.

While they all might have scared the hell out of me, with a few leaving me severely wounded or scared for life, they are not comparable to the near death experience(s) (NDE) I’m about to discuss in this article. Continue reading A Near Death Experience: Back from the Brink →

It Takes a Village…

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Cognitive Dissonance

Mrs. Cog and I live at the end of a dead end private dirt road off of a dead end state dirt road off of a paved road out in the middle of nowhere. The two combined dirt roads are a little more than a mile long and the paved road is five plus miles from the center of the local gas station/grocery store/tourist stop huddled just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We think of our place as a slice of heaven. Others might think of it as isolated at best and the last place they’d want to live at worst. Needless to say, there is not a lot of traffic passing in front of our home. We get the post man six days a week, the UPS man when we order something from civilization and the FedEx man once in a blue moon along with the occasional curious local checking out what’s going on up our road.

So when there is a knock on our front door, it is an extremely rare event. There was that lady a few months back who was lost and looking for someone we had never heard of. She didn’t even have a street address, so we shrugged our shoulders and sent her on her way. Then there is the neighbor from down the road who stops by every few months to see if the damn Yankees have died and are stinking up the place.

You get the picture! Continue reading It Takes a Village… →

Shadows

by

Cognitive Dissonance

Elevation changes the way the sun and atmosphere interact. In the visible spectrum, colors and contrast appear to be especially clear and sharp, at least to this set of eyes. It is one of the joys I experience living at 3,000 feet. Not so high that it causes shortness of breath, but high enough so humidity levels in general are lower and the air is clearer.

The last few days up here on the mountain have been a joy to behold. Very low humidity, clear skies and temps in the mid 70's are a dream come true. Two evenings ago I decided to partake of the front porch rocking chair and enjoy the setting sun and scenery. It was spectacular.

Anyone who has followed me for a few years knows I enjoy the interplay of light and shadow. It is one of the reasons the fall and winter months are so special to me, particularly up here on the mountain where the low humidity and elevation seem to energize the contrast.

While the spring and summer seasons have their own special magic, there are less days where it all comes together to produce the dazzling contrast I love so much. The other day, especially the evening, was one of those glorious days. Continue reading Shadows →