News-Record.com

I apologize for the sparse postings over the past few weeks; my daughter has been hospitalized since Aug. 1 so I have been in and out of the office.

However, I wanted to take this moment of quietude to reflect on my experience with the health care systems in Greensboro and Chapel Hill (both of which I have been pleased with so far). I've never had a reason to be in a hospital room for more than a week at a time, so visiting the same room for weeks has been quite disorienting. Occasionally I would ponder modern medicine's relationship to fossil fuels and the "one step forward, two steps backward" feeling that a disruption to one's life causes.

I would look at the hi-tech ICU machinery and think "Will these lifesaving devices be around and affordable 20 years from now?" Or, "I can't believe I'm in a 21st century hospital and the cafeteria is still serving hamburgers and pizza with no vegetarian options."

Then I would think about the garden I planted in early summer that is now in disarray, my frequent car trips between cities and the heavily transported and packaged foods I purchase for convenience instead of my weekly trips to the farmers market. Of course, energy efficiency is low on my list of concerns right now; my main priorities are my daughter and my sanity. But I was reminded of how vital convenient and effective health care, food and transportation are to us and how we must rethink their provision so that they continue to be available when we most need them.

.... And while I'm posting, Elon University will hold a conference on sustainability in September.