I had the privilege of interviewing my friend Ron Plue and discussing the ins and outs of life, itself, from his vantage point of nearly 91 years. Spiritual development, points of view re: optimism and pessimism and the inevitable losses that come with aging are considered in light of the power of living in the moment.

I interview author, and friend, Stephanie Clare Smith about her stunning memoir, "Everywhere the Undrowned." The book is writing at its best as it revisits (through lyrical memory/reflection) the images associated with the summer of her abduction/kidnapping as a 14 year-old left alone in New Orleans. Decades later she cares for the cognitively-declining mother who had left her that summer in the first place. This book is not only for "survivors"; it's for anyone who wants to thrive in life with empathy and understanding of how we hurt each other and need each other in the most powerful of ways.

Stephanie can be reached through her website, https://www.stephanieclaresmith.com/

Some reflections on The Beatles' song/purported-advice 58 years after.
Does it hold up? Was it ever true?

Nope.

Well, what then? What is needed, and how do you get it?

I prefer the words of Procol Harum: "For the answer lies in learning, and in teaching we are taught. There's nothing hidden anywhere, it's all there to be sought."