Exploring the Jungle —Mary Lott

Summer is my all-time favorite season and always has been. I’ve been a dreamer all my life, and my favorite pastime when I was younger was to take a book outside, find a place…

Note: This column was updated July 25, 2025, to correct the term coagulate to agglutinate.  Three points make a plane. I learned this rule back in eighth-grade geometry class. At the time it was…

A friend of mine asked me, “You’re always staying home. Have you always been a homebody?” I got mad. This comment was many years ago, and it still irritates. But I didn’t express my…

The nurse had taken all of my vitals, and the doctors had come in for a chat. My checkup was almost over: yay! But the part I hate most — the blood draw —…

“We need to schedule you for a bone marrow biopsy.” My doctor was on the phone delivering his evaluation of recent blood work. Of all the tests and treatments, a bone marrow…

I haven’t felt well since early February. Many days I haven’t wanted to get out of bed. Even pushing the covers off or pulling them over me takes a gargantuan effort. Healthcare providers have…

I was heartbroken when I unpacked my luggage a couple weeks ago and found my beautiful coffeepot smashed into 22 pieces with accompanying shards and small chips. In my tiredness, a moment of good…

I dipped my foot in the water before plunging in. Oh! It was cooler than I’d wanted. I jumped in anyway, hoping I’d warm up as I swam. I’m a good swimmer, and I’ve…

I had a china coffee pitcher that my husband gave to me one Mother’s Day. That alone made it special, but it was already unique. It had the requisite bowl for the coffee and…

“No, you don’t have cancer.” The doctor was explaining what my bone marrow biopsy had revealed. “You do have an abnormality in your blood that may develop into either leukemia or lymphoma, but right…