As I have been taking wildlife photos, I have found myself gravitating to images of raptors. They are beautiful in their own right, but they are also symbolic of the duality we all live with, that is, beauty and tragedy, life and death, good and evil. These beautiful birds are deadly to certain animals, other birds, etc. But the images to the right capture the peaceful beauty of a deadly predator flying into a setting sun. We all have, to some degree, death and tragedy in our lives. But we can also experience beauty and peace at the same time, even as we are walking into a setting sun.

Unlike these hawks, my physical movement is not graceful, and over the last few years it has steadily gotten worse. I have very bad balance and I go back and forth about using a cane. I use it for awhile and then I stop for a while, hoping/thinking that walking without it will help my balance. Not sure if it does. I am sure that without my regular exercise regime, which is three days a week at a gym that works specifically with older and cognitively deficient clients, it would be even worse. I have been going to this gym for about two years now. While numerous physical issues have gotten better, my balance deficit has stayed the same, with literally no improvement.

You might ask, “Why are you still going if your balance is no better?” My wife asked the question of me a little differently, “What would your balance be like if you were not exercising for the last two years?” She raised it because I had been talking about not exercising anymore since it has been difficult for me to get past my apathy and fatigue to go to the workouts. But I have continued to go, even though it is a struggle sometimes. I am reminded of what my neurologist said when he gave me the diagnosis, “There is no cure, but if you exercise, etc., you might be able to slow it down.” I firmly believe that exercising has slowed down my disease, at least relative to my balance, and that if I had not been doing it, my balance would be a lot worse right now.

Another thing the exercise has done for me is to strengthen my legs and core muscles, so I have an easier time sitting, standing, stopping, and catching myself when I almost fall, etc. Whatever your current abilities are, or are not, working out will help. We all have different economic circumstances, and if you cannot afford a gym membership most towns have recreation centers where you can exercise at very low cost, if any. You can also get a few dumbbells, a mat, some rubber exercise bands, etc., and you can go online or to your library and figure out an exercise routine you can do at home. Whatever your situation, if you have a cognitive disease, you can help slow down its progression by exercising.

These two images are of a female northern harrier hawk, taken in 2026 at Farmington Bay. She was flying into a setting sun, and I was fortunate to get these shots. She seemed fearless as she flew into the sun. We are all flying, or walking, into setting suns. We should be, and can be, fearless as we do so.

These images of wild mustangs of the Onaqui herd in Skull Valley were a mistake. They were taken in 2025. I was confused and anxious by how close these horses came to me. I failed to set my shutter speed at the correct speed and all my images came out blurred. However, one could argue that my “mistake” actually created “impressionist” photos that, for me, appear to capture the wildness and potential ferocity of these beautiful animals. We cannot be afraid of making mistakes as we try to figure out our roles, our value, etc. Who knows, your efforts could turn into a happy surprise.