Dan Paul
It occurs to all of us at various times in our lives. The feeling sinking at the bottom of your stomach that you may have stepped into something beyond your limitations. This emotion is derived from past similar youthful experiences, coupled with the aging process. So now, let us begin.
There I stood, observing the steep, downward slope in front of me. I had in a previous year used my old sled with metal runners. However, this year was different, as my old sled was traded for a plastic one. To magnify it even further, we waxed the bottom with paraffin wax, thus multiplying the speed of the sled exponentially. So, with my grandchildren, ages 7 and 9, along with my son, we proceeded on this adventure.
Dan Paul
It is said that the two things that one cannot avoid are death and taxes. For discussion’s sake, let us take the former: death. It takes life from us in various ways, such as suddenly, maybe by accidents; or longer, through intense suffering; or quietly, in our sleep. We never know when exactly it will occur, so all we have is today and sometimes not even that.
What I have discovered is no, not the fountain of youth but how to enjoy the time I have on Earth. Many of us are close to or are entering the winter of our lives, but this advice is also applicable to the young as well. Sure, most of us have aches, pains, lost mobility, and tire easily. This has restricted certainly mobility, but one can still do something that you will find enriching and rewarding.
DANIEL J. PAUL
It is said that the two things one cannot avoid are death and taxes. For discussion’s sake, let us take the former, death. It takes life from us in various ways, such as suddenly, maybe by accidents; or longer, through intense suffering; or quietly, in our sleep. We never know when exactly it will occur, so all we have is today and sometimes not even that.
What I have discovered is–no, not the fountain of youth–but how to enjoy the time I have on Earth. Many of us are close to or are entering the winter of our lives, but this advice is also applicable to the young as well. Sure, most of us have aches, pains, lost mobility, and tire easily. This has restricted certainly mobility, but one can still do something that you will find enriching and rewarding.
Dan Paul
The huge towering waves were waxing and waning continually, encircling and engulfing the small boat. The fearful crew (covered in bits of cloth and animal skins), drenched by water, fear reflected in their eyes, and worry etched into their faces, was but a small reflection of what they had endured as one day had passed. Similar expressions were captured on the navigator’s face, but were multiplied as he alone knew that they were lost.
Still, the onslaught continued into the night, with wood groaning, creaking, and cracking as every wave pounded the little boat. The crew had hours ago lashed themselves to the side of the boat, with hopes of not being swept overboard. Slowly, the night crept forward until the storm was spent and began to abate. The waves subsided and calmed to create a mirror of the quarter, waning moon. Even as the skies cleared, the light of the charted stars was revealed.
For The Daily News (Submitted photo) SANTA CLAUS (Daniel J. Paul) with some of the soldiers who decorated Santaâs throne and the Apache helicopter at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for Christmas 2019.
(Submitted photo) SANTA CLAUS (Daniel J. Paul) with some of the soldiers who decorated Santaâs throne and the Apache helicopter at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for Christmas 2019.
A profound experience is what I encountered during Christmas of 2019, as I was invited to return as Santa Claus to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and the Tennessee State Veterans’ Home. At these two events, little did I know what would transpire before my eyes and in my heart.