I’m writing this on Tuesday morning, September 22, before the storm hits. To be clear, the actual weather here in Central Washington is supposed to be pretty perfect. I mean all the things. Tuesday night: Husband arrives from Alaska. Furniture moving and construction-site Tetris begins. Wednesday...

As my move out of Alaska gets closer, I find myself increasingly reflective. There is something to the  saying that life is what happens while we’re making plans. Nineteen years ago, I finally gave in to my husband’s persistent suggestion that we go “look” at Alaska. We stepped off the plane, fel...

The shadow side of good values in medicine... I’ve learned that even good values have edges. Justice, for me, especially. We talk a lot about values in medicine: integrity, compassion, excellence, justice. But I’ve learned that even our best values have a "shadow side". Sometimes, even justice ne...

In 2018, our annual mid-winter break took us to Hawaii with our adult daughters and our one grand-little at the time. We stayed together in an Airbnb, soaking up the warmth and beauty of the islands. One morning, I took the grand in the stroller while the others split into two groups of runners h...