My road came to an unexpected halt on November 9, 2010.

I was bicycling to work when a garbage truck drove into a Philadelphia bike lane. I was in that bike lane.

A team of trauma surgeons saved my life, but they had to amputate my left leg above the knee. The accident changed my body and health forever.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

These words started me on the journey to walk again. Over time, they became a way of life.

I am a person of ability and disability. I travel in the space between. These are my postcards.

Sunday, November 9, 2025

Fifteen Years

Overheard at Mile 14,140...

 "Fifteen years, and I still can't get my leg on." 

Mark laughs.  My brother is standing by his car, parked in the temporary spot outside my building.  

It's 8 PM on November 8.  

I was joking, but it's true.  My prosthesis is not quite on...

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Memento Vivere

 A haunted hello from Mile 14,078...

...where a good-leg day meets a pain in the neck!

(That's a vampire joke!)

Remember Rainbow?

Well, she's 16 now, and while she's darkened her outerwear, she's still as colorful as ever on the inside.  

She's also old enough to do her own "googling," so she's been obsessed with visiting Vampa, the Vampire and Paranormal Museum in Doylestown, PA, about an hour north of Philly.

I'd been dragging my feet -- prosthetic and real -- because of the hassle of getting there... 

Sunday, October 12, 2025

The Undercover Lives of My Favorite Baristas

Hello from --

A selfie of me (on left) and Donna (on right) in front of a monoprint of a woman steaming coffee -- an art piece made by one of my baristas.
-- I'm not sure what mile it is!

Life has been busy lately -- bursting at its seams.  I haven't had time to total my mileage.

But I learned, way back at Mile 30, that when feelings get too big, it's best to think small.  (And a little bacon goes a long way, but that's another story!)

Bacon aside, I'm grateful for my morning walk.  

If you're new here, a morning walk is nothing heroic...  

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Bright Umbrellas in the Rain

A rainy wave from Mile Marker 13,898...

I get home from work exhausted, just as the rain begins.

I drop my lunchbag in the kitchen, my backpack on the dining room chair.  

I limp into the bedroom.  Contemplate lowering the shades.  The sky is dark already.  Can the neighbors see in?  But I'm too tired even to make that decision...

Tuesday, August 12, 2025

Expect the Unexpected

Hello from Mile 13,890 at Jefferson University!

After sharing my story with these wonderful first-year medical students, the unexpected happened.

I almost fell.

Almost -- because a quick-thinking young woman in a brand-new white coat stepped in and caught me...

Saturday, August 9, 2025

Capturing A Moment in Time

The desire to capture a moment in time has always been part of my nature...

So began my college essay, typed on a typewriter, back when there was no such thing as a Universal App, only blanks to fill in on dozens of pages, carefully unstapled and imperfectly aligned under the paper bail.  

(I looked it up -- that's the name of that silver roller bar!)

My dad photocopied the applications at his office so I could do rough drafts.  Because once you started typing, the pressure was on.  There was no going back.

Greetings from 1987, where everything was analog...  

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Jar of Stones

Greetings from the Schuylkill Expressway.  

At Mile 13,810, I've never been happier to be speeding toward that Philadelphia skyline.

It's been a tough travel weekend.

I could show you the highlight reel...

Friday, July 4, 2025

A Postcard from Above

 Happy 4th from Mile 13,790... 

My balcony table, with a wicker chair beyond.  On the table is my laptop, a yellow notebook, a glass water bottle, a mason jar with plant clippings, and a glass of water.  There are flowers in the flowerbox, and a sky and low buildings beyond.
... 3 stories up!

A couple passes on the sidewalk below.

My friends and I call them "The Nines."

They're in freshly-pressed whites -- she, a collared dress; he, a tee with dark jeans -- and matching straw hats.  They look good, as always.

Dressed to the....