The Four Stages of Friendship
Friendship is one of the themes in my memoir, At Home on the Kazakh Steppe. And one I wanted to investigate a bit further. Hence, a blog post on it. In preparing for this series on friendship, I read … Read More
On the Train to Zhezkazgan
This could be Kansas. It could be any of my familiar Great Plains states except there are no crops. I see nothing growing at all — no wheat, no soybeans, no corn — no life of any sort except the … Read More
Friendship
“Why did you do all this for me?” he asked. “I don’t deserve it. I’ve never done anything for you.” “You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing.” ― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web … Read More
Meeting Gulzhahan
For the next few weeks (or months) I’ll be popping in on Fridays with a Deleted Scene from my memoir, At Home on the Kazakh Steppe. Let’s call them the “lost deleted scenes.” As I put together my new ebook … Read More
Our First Friend
A friend is a present you give yourself. Robert Louis Stevenson Friendship is a recurring theme in my memoir, At Home on the Kazakh Steppe, and a topic I’ve been fascinated by, professionally, for over thirty years. And there is … Read More
Life Lesson #1 From Camel’s Hump
#1 Sometimes, we have to forge our own path. Remember Gillian? We met her back at Lesson #10, Sometimes, when you try to follow the blazes, it ends in disaster. Sometimes, we have to break the “rules,” follow our own path … Read More
Life Lesson #2 From Camel’s Hump
#2 Sometimes, we just need to follow the rules. Rules make life simple. That’s their upside and their downside. Rules take the decision-making responsibility away from us. In some cases, they remove that sense of personal responsibility … Read More
Life Lesson #3 From Camel’s Hump
#3 Seen in the distance, problems sometimes appear larger and more ominous. But as we move closer, the solution appears. I’m tempted to quote the “One Step at a Time” adage, but this is different. The lesson in this one … Read More
Life Lesson #4 From Camel’s Hump
#4 Sometimes, when we think we’re in it alone, it’s good to remember that others have gone before. I wondered, as I climbed these steps, who had laid them? How long had it taken? Was it a large group? Did … Read More