The Hazard Chronicles

The guide book on the internet said to budget an hour and a half for the climb up, and another hour for the descent. "Not for the faint-hearted" it had said. "Extremely strenuous, and exposed...but worth it for the views."

At least they got one part right- the view was spectacular. I had just made the round trip in less than 35 minutes of exhilarating trail running, including the rest at the top to catch my breath and watch the sun rise up over the distant hills.

The desert really can be a beautiful place, I thought. Especially when you know you don't have to live there. 

I love sunrises. There is something about the breaking of dawn that has always seemed magical to me. Perhaps it's the boundless energy that is stored up in the moment, like the silky smooth face of a wave in the ocean in the moment just before it goes crashing into complete chaos. What events will transpire in the next twenty-four hours? How many human dramas will unfold- lives changed forever in the beating of a butterfly's wings? For all I know, history could be in the making.

Or not.

But that's the beauty- anything could be possible. And the sun, rising up over the horizon, is the shot that will signal the start of a new day.

Bang.

*****

After washing up at the trail-head, I changed shoes and tucked in the button-down shirt I had brought for the occasion. I then used the gel I had purchased that morning to smooth my hair, and applied lotion to hide my cracking skin (it wasn't appreciating the desert as much as I was). Walking out, I waved to people I had passed on the trail on my way down, smiling to myself at the self-indulgent idea that they might not recognize me as the reckless maniac they thought they had just seen a moment before. 

Finally, I pulled out my phone and called for a ride. The second day of my dental conference was about to begin. 

The ride though, I cannot let go without comment. Uber, the much-celebrated avant-garde mode of transportation, was quickly becoming a new habit of mine. It is strangely addicting, and I must admit that I have fantasized on more than one occasion of an entire vacation spent doing nothing but riding in the cars of strangers, asking them about their city, and learning about their lives in the process.

In this particular instance I got to meet Dennis, a man in his 70s  and a native of Phoenix. He once owned a thriving upholstery business before, according to him, the box-stores took over and killed off the people's expectations for fine home furnishings. He had failed to see the writing on the wall, he told me, and he lamented out loud that he didn't re-train for other work at the time. "The world was changing so fast, and that was something that took a lot of us off-guard." That's what he said, and it caused me to think about things a little bit differently. He soon found himself bankrupt and without a job, and moved in with his son's family. Uber, he said, gave him a chance to feel useful again. He liked it, and it allowed him to contribute financially to the household and regain a sense of independence.

Besides Dennis, I met Aasera (who goes by "Abby"), a refuge from Iraq who moved to the states one year ago and was trying to get her GED so she could go to college. I met Maria, who stayed at home during the day to take care of her grandchildren while her single daughter went to work. I met Cody, a college student who drove at night while his fiance' went to work. I met Scott, who did Uber on a full-time basis and was in the process of developing an App for his fellow drivers. 

I couldn't tell you why, but meeting all these people- complete strangers- and riding in their cars and talking with them for a few minutes- it all gave me a tremendous feeling of faith in humanity, as cliche' as the catch-phrase may be. It was cool. 

*****

As for the dental conference itself, it would be difficult to describe for most of the people who read this blog. The title of the seminar was "The Art of Case Presentation and Treatment Planning," and the presenter was Dr. Frank Spear. Now, for most dentists I don't need to say anything else- Spear has seen a great deal of success in branding his own name, owns a massive "campus" in Scottsdale, is something of a dental god to some people, and is an exceptionally good teacher. The weekend reinforced to me the idea I have always held that the first step to learning is the realization of things you didn't know you didn't know, and I came away with a large list of items to work on that will make me better at what I do.

That is probably as much as I could say to people who aren't already involved in dentistry without devolving into the shop-talk of my trade. Just know that I found the presentation to be engaging and worthwhile. It was one of those rare experiences that may be able, years later, to be seen as a milestone of my own professional development.

*****

Friday night, after changing my clothes yet again, I called for another Uber. The Sugar Thieves were a blues band who had started up in Arizona, but had recently enjoyed a bit of national success. They also just happened to be playing in Phoenix that night.

There is nothing like a good concert to cap off a wonderful stay in the desert.

*****

When I got back into town I drove straight from the airport to the theater in Spokane, where I saw the Broadway show "Kinky Boots" for the second time that week (we had also gone on opening night). It's a great show, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have its songs in my head for the next several weeks.

Rachel and me on opening night

*****

In a few days I drive to the airport yet again- this time to drop Rachel off for her cruise to the Bahamas and stay in New York. Leading up to this, she has gone out of her way to take each of our kids out on special one-on-one dates. She'll be gone for 10 days. We're definitely going to miss her, but we are all super proud of the degree to which her career has taken off. The other day she overheard Evelyn talking to her friends about how cool her mom was because of her job. I love  that! I also have to say that she is somewhat of an inspiration to me. There is nothing quite as fulfilling as watching someone you love very deeply when they are in their element doing something they are passionate about.

Love ya, Rach.

Have a good week!