I walk or jog on Sleepy Eye’s Lake Trail. The trail has been a blessing. I used to run on the shoulder of Highway 14. That has become insanely busy. I was afraid of getting sucked into the wake of a semi-truck and ending up in Brookings. I mostly go on the quieter west side of the trail. In ...

What is it about food that makes us want to eat it? What circuits are triggered when we look at the foods we like? How do the sensory properties of food influence our choices of what to eat? There are no simple answers for this complex function. What follows is just a piece of the ...

Eating is a central part of the human experience much in the same way that swimming is a central part of being a fish. My wife and I recently visited relatives in the Kansas City area, so we decided to swim in the waters of the region’s food scene. But first we had to take care of some ...

“It’s unimaginable.” “I can’t even begin to understand what you must be feeling.” “I cannot imagine what you’ve gone through.” These are a few of the well-meaning sentiments we’ve heard since our world was shattered and our worst fears came true on Aug. 27. While ...

September is a month of reflection, awareness, and hope. It marks both National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month and National Recovery Month—two observances that shine a light on struggles often carried in silence. Together, they remind us that mental health and recovery are deeply ...

You can hardly watch the news or read a newspaper without learning about yet another disaster. It almost seems normal that something terrible is happening to someone somewhere. People losing their lives, far-ranging damage, and consequent hardship are the fruit of disaster. The prolonged ...