Just as I’m settling down into my own space in Vermont, my friend Mary Friel tells me to “Stay Uprooted.” Really? For the last year and a half, my intention has been to put down roots in Vermont. 

Then, as I was exploring the meadow beyond the farm house apartment I’m renting, I began to understand what Mary meant. I saw the apple tree, loaded with ripe, red fruit, split down the middle, growing sideways and thriving. So, I thought, I too can thrive with shallow, exposed roots, even after splitting from my fifty years in New Jersey.

For me, this registers confidence that I’m on my right path. In other words, it’s belief and trust in myself — what my body and soul are telling me. I give much credit to the BreatheOutDynamic system (BODs). This daily practice that I write about in Just Breathe Out keeps my body strong, sending me trustworthy information about my capabilities. 

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So, I listened to my body when it told me that I had to abort my month-long solo

car trip in August after only five days on the road. On the first evening of my trip,

I saw the bulls-eye rash on my body, sure sign that the tick that bit me a few