Two rare events were predicted and expected to happen this year. One of them has already taken place; it was awe-inspiring for those who witnessed it, but it was short-lived, highly localised (though accessible to many by proxy thanks to the mass media) and had no serious consequences for anyone. I’m talking about the total eclipse of the Sun on…

How do you convince someone to believe you, trust your promises, take up your offer, and so on? Obviously, it depends on many factors in play, but generally speaking, there are three main tools at hand: reasonable or logical arguments, evidence, and handling. In fact, these three are most often employed together. A tangible piece of evidence needs a description…

My restless mind is rarely pleased with the status quo. It’s always looking for learning opportunities, whether new hobbies or skills. Several years ago, inspired by a particularly hot Scottish summer, I became interested in growing trees – not just any trees, mind you. I didn’t own the land, and my residency, by definition, isn’t permanent. Bonsai, the Japanese-style miniature…

It took ten days or so to cover the distance of about 200 miles between my home county and the national Marian shrine of Jasna Góra (The Bright Mount). A walking pilgrimage that was a staple of my summer for eleven years. Except for the very first one, I was involved in organising and running those walking pilgrimages in various…

The three-day-long journey was excruciating and exhausting, not so much physically as mentally. With every step closer to the destination, the weight of the inevitable was getting heavier and heavier. At the same time, there was nobody to share it with, to talk about, despite having his long-expected and dearly loved son as his companion for the journey. Abraham felt…