How To Be Sick is about living
skillfully with the challenges of any chronic illness or condition. I
wrote it for sufferers and for their caregivers (the latter includes
people involved in hospice, chaplaincy, and elder care); for those
interested in chronic illnesses and conditions (health professionals,
family and friends); and for people interested in Buddhism (illness can
function as a metaphor for suffering which, along with the cessation
of suffering, is at the heart of the Buddha’s teaching).

Chronic illnesses or conditions – such as
arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes (three among dozens) – while not
immediately life-threatening, are life-disrupting and stressful. The
book is unique in that each chapter contains easy-to-learn tools and
practices to help the chronically ill and their caregivers live
skillfully, maintain equanimity, and even find joy despite the profound
changes in their lives. A recurring theme in the book is that,
although one’s body may be sick, one’s mind can be at peace.

Some of the practices presented are
traditionally Buddhist. Others I devised after becoming ill. Two are
from the work of Byron Katie. Each practice is illustrated with
examples from my own experience, so the book is also highly personal.

The practices are intended to help with the following types of challenges:

• Suffering due to the relentlessness of physical symptoms;
• Blaming oneself for being sick;
• Cursory or dismissive treatment by doctors and medical professionals;
• The inability to visit with friends, participate in family gatherings, and take part in other social events;
• Feeling ignored by family or friends;
• Suffering due to uncertainty about the future;
• Coping with the disappointment of failed treatments;
• Caretaker burnout.

At the end of the book is a handy
reference guide, summarizing the specific tools and practices that can
help with each of the above challenges.

One man's
reward.

One man's journey.

One man's fight for a new life.

From the time Sammy Winds pulled on his first pair of spurs, he understood the difficulties
living in the new American West. An orphan since he was a small child, Sammy grew
up working long, dusty days as a ranch hand on the Twin T.,busting broncs, herding
cows, and learning to spit his tobacco with contest-winning precision. Sammy became
used to sweat and toil and tough ranch life, but after an encounter with a murderous
outlaw leaves Sammy the prospect of a fortune, the cowboy leaves behind his love
and everything he has ever known to embark on a journey across the untamed West.
Only he doesn't know just how dangerous his adventure is about to become.

Follow the rugged excitement as Sammy treks Along The Fortune Trail, fighting off
cruel weather, attacking renegade Apaches, and overcoming the evil ploys of enough
crooks and villains to send any regular saddle-sore hombre heading home to the hills.
But Sammy isn't just any man. With his eyes set on the chance of a lifetime, Sammy
Winds tilts his hat toward the mysteries of the trail, ready to gallop his way to
the riches awaiting him in Denver and prepared to stomp on any obstacle in his way.

In October 2005, two mountaineers climbing above Mendel Glacier
in the High Sierra found the mummified remains of a man in a WWII
uniform, entombed in the ice. The "Frozen Airman" discovery drew author
Peter Stekel to investigate the case of a navigation training flight
crew missing since 1942. Early attempts at recovery were thwarted due to
botched records, bad weather, bad luck, and bad timing.

 Then, in
2007, Stekel discovered a second body in the glacier. Through
meticulous research, interviews, and trips to the crash site, Stekel
uncovered the story of these four young men. Final Flight
explores their ill-fated trip and the misinformation surrounding it for
over 60 years. It's a gripping account that's part a mystery, part
history, and a personal quest to uncover the truth of what occured
November 18th, 1942.

 In the process Stekel narrates the young aviator's last days and takes us on their final flight.

 "An
invigorated appreciation of the dedication of the men and women of the
Greatest Generation." - Michael Sledge, author of Soldier Dead: How We
Recover, Identity, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen

 "Peter
Stekel has captured the history, geography, and the mystery surrounding
this inspiring tale of the High Sierra." - G. Pat Macha, author of
Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of California