David's Writing Practice

       My favorite vacation was our trip to Miraval. Miraval is a health and wellness retreat located just south of Tucson, Arizona. We spent a week there and attended several retreat activities three of which are my favorites. First and foremost was the equestrian group therapy. In this, we met several other people from all over the world. Some were fairly famous and successful while others were not as fortunate. While discussing life's events and how to cope we worked with horses to aid in developing our intention. Horses have a very keen instinct of feeling a person's intention. If the person is confused, the horse also becomes confused and is more likely to not cooperate. Likewise, if a person's intent is clear the horse will be calm and will generally follow the person's lead. This exercise helps one to work towards clarifying what is going on inside the mind and learning how to develop the intention of allowing and coping with its issues. It was a very informat...

      Reading can help to improve your life with several benefits. The first benefit that you can develop through reading is to develop your vocabulary. Learning new words while in context can help to remember the new words. As your vocabulary grows you can read more complicated material. The next benefit from reading is you can develop better critical thinking skills. Paragraphs are typically constructed around one main idea supported by a number of details that help to explain the main idea more completely. This main idea is normally referred to as the topic. Knowing the structure of paragraphs provides a framework with which to improve critical thinking through clarity and organization. A third benefit of reading is to improve your concentration and focus. In order to follow a story or explanation you need to pay attention by focusing on the text and concentrating on what is being said. The more you practice this skill the stronger your focus and concentration will bec...

      Of all four of the seasons during the year Fall is the best one. Not only is the temperature starting to go down, but cooler winds pick up. It has been hot for a few months and the relief is a welcome event. Also, the leaves of most hardwood trees begin to change colors. They burst forward in a vast variety of hue, tone, and shade. Soon they will be falling from the trees indicating that winter is near. Driving out of the city and into the mountainous areas gives one a full display of the beauty. The Fall also means that the holiday season is upon us. Holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be celebrated soon. Fall is a magic time of the year that signifies the beginning of the process of letting go to allow birth of the new in the Spring to come. It is the best time of the year for letting go of the old and looking forward to the new.

  Jack taught me about love.      Many people have their pets whether they are cats, dogs, birds, or turtles. My pet is Jack, a black lab. Jack brings so much joy to my life. He demonstrates that love in many ways.  He greets me at the door when I return home from work by vigorously wagging his tail and leaning against me trying to wipe my scent on himself. He licks my beard like there is ice cream all over it. He looks me in the eye with a consistency one would consider as intruding but his is done out of admiration and pure love. You feel the love with his every stare. When he follows me through the house he gently licks each calf as it presents itself to him saying in a quiet way "I'm here with you." When I've had a rough day he is an expert in hugging. His hugs are so wonderful. Jack will come up to my chair and place his front paws on either side of my head and lean in with his head placing it next to mine. He then will gently pull me into him and time will...