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Paying attention to where we are and what we notice, as we move toward where we are going, or
the path on which we are walking, might turn out to be what helps us in times of uncertainty or difficulty.
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 A long time ago there lived a young man named Hugh. Like everyone in his village, he heard about a king’s daughter who’d been kidnapped and imprisoned in a giant’s castle. He yearned to free her but didn’t know how. While sitting outside his little house, thinking about a possible rescue, he saw a dog limping and brought the dog into his house. When he saw a large thorn in the dog’s paw, he carefully removed the thorn, bathed the paw, and took him back outside. The dog seemed to show he wished Hugh to follow him. Some distance from his house, a woman known as a bean feasa (a woman of knowledge) gratefully hugged her dog and thanked Hugh for helping him.
 It rained the night before. The morning is cold and damp. Not the best weather for spelunking but I hope the weather at the cave will be better. It isn’t. “I don’t think we should go in,” I tell Mike, the leader. “It’s too cold and wet.”
He dismisses my worries, buoyed by the group’s obvious enthusiasm. “I think it will be fine, but if you’re afraid to go, you can sit in the truck and wait for us.” His obvious disdain feels like a challenge. I agree to go. We buddy up  The medicine I was taking to keep leukemia at bay had to be kept frozen. Not a problem until the power went out during the night and was still out when I woke up. One of my neighbors tried to drive to work and told me there were so many downed trees and wires it didn’t seem possible power would be restored any time soon
 Since moving to Santa Fe in 2001, when I was 65, I’ve been celebrating my birthday by hiking to Nambé Lake, a mountain lake surrounded by steep cliffs. From the ski basin it’s over seven miles, going up to 11,400’ with more than 2,000’ elevation gain.
Every year it feels as if the trail gets steeper and longer. Although I managed to do it last year, it was difficult. More than a few times I wondered if I should turn back before finishing. I kept going, on will power and the strong desire to reach the lake. This year I’m turning 90. The number is playing tricks with my brain. Maybe I’m too old. How old is too old? I do my best to quell unhelpful thoughts but it isn’t easy. Fortunately, the two friends who offer to come with me have no reservations. They laugh at my worries. |
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July 2026
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Nancy King is a widely published author and a professor emerita at the University of Delaware, where she has taught theater, drama, playwriting, creative writing, and multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis on world literature. She has published seven previous works of nonfiction and five novels. Her new memoir, Breaking the Silence, explores the power of stories in healing from trauma and abuse. Her career has emphasized the use of her own experience in being silenced to encourage students to find their voices and to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with authenticity, as a way to add meaning to their lives.
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