THE DEMONS

I can't sleep. My body aches. A dozen different worries pound my mind. Financial problems. Family matters. My own insanity. I think about turning to my vial of sedatives, but I opt out. I've been abusing the pills lately. I need to go cold turkey.

I hit Hudson Trails hard. I stretch, do push-ups and sit-ups, breathe purposely and profoundly. But it's an all-day battle. I eat lightly. I read. I drink lots of liquids. I nap off and on. Slowly the anxiety eases.

During winter, my favorite time of year on the border, colleagues will complain when a front passes through the Valley and a cold drizzle falls for 24 hours, but I embrace the change in weather. Not only do I get a chance to wear my leather jacket and savor a gumbo at lunch, but I know that the best days of the year follow these cold fronts.

There is no place I'd rather be in the world than Brownsville when a crisp sun and a clear sky make you glad to be alive to partake of these marvelous moments that only nature can provide.

The same is true when the torments subside in my being. A new day dawns and there is no place I'd rather be than inside my own skin.