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What is social anxiety?

It is not unusual to feel a bit uncomfortable around certain people or in certain groups. There may be a good reason for that discomfort based on past experience or the nature of the situation. Having significant discomfort when interacting with other people most or all of the time is a problem that can have bad consequences. How big a problem can this be? First, let’s rule out shyness. Shyness is an acute, temporary, situation-dependent discomfort that may occur when dealing with people whom you don’t know. You may expect to say something wrong, look foolish, get teased, get ...

A close encounter with an old razor

The medicine cabinet was crusty and rusty, much like me. And like me, it’s old enough to be a museum piece. The cabinet was installed in my parents’ bathroom when it was added onto their farmhouse more than 60 years ago. I was just a tyke at the time, and flushing the toilet was infinitely more interesting than a smallish cabinet that sported a mirrored door. Besides, we had another mirror in the house, so I already knew what I looked like. It was clear that the old medicine cabinet needed to be replaced or refurbished. Replacing it would cost money and I had a can of white spray ...

The classics

I braced myself against the roaring north winds of Minnesota’s opening day, waves rolling into the south shore so hard their crests lapped at the just-installed dock and sprays of white splashed up between the slats, soaking my tennis shoes. It was a classic start to the season, and while I ...

The four L’s of us

While having lunch with family members, I was reminded of my four L's of being here. Not wanting to pontificate too much, I'll keep this short. However, I just walked by a fellow I can't ignore. Why? Because I find him slightly irritating. The fellow in question is what I'll call an itinerant preacher man. Almost every Sunday afternoon, he stands at a very busy intersection and yells his faith to the passing cars. I'm not sure what he expects to accomplish since there's so much traffic noise nobody can hear him. Yet, he's exercising his freedom of speech, and I give him that. ...

Mother’s Day without mom: one of life’s major turning points

Mother’s Day is different for me this year, altogether different from what I had known for a total of 58 years. My mom died last year on Sept. 14 at the age of 87. She faced dementia with courage late in life. She moved from Boulder Estates to Boulder Creek in 2022, then moved to the Lockwood House hospice house in 2024 when she lost her mobility. Last year we celebrated Mother’s Day. I always bought her Mother’s Day card and her birthday card for May 20 at the same time. She enjoyed her last birthday. She smiled for a photo. Shortly after her birthday she had a setback that ...

Nurses you don’t see often the ones who help you avoid bigger health crisis

When most of us think about nurses, we picture hospital hallways, clinics, and exam rooms. That image is real, and nurses working in those settings deserve enormous respect for working on the front lines of health care. But here is something many people do not realize. Some of the most important nursing work happens outside hospital walls. These nurses play a critical role in helping people stay healthier, avoid unnecessary complications, and reduce avoidable health care costs. We see this every day. It is a situation nurses encounter often: a member leaves the hospital with a ...