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~ Diabetes, Cancer Fighter, Father of Twins, Kayak Fishing, Woodcrafter, Lover of Life

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Tag Archives: Kindle

My Stuff Is Being Raptured (And I Wasn’t Invited)

04 Monday May 2026

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Life, Uncategorized

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Tags

Bible Study, Black Hole, Book, books, Camera, Church, Kindle, Life, Missing, Nikon, Reading, Science Fiction, Weird, writing

Years ago, back when I still trusted reality to behave itself, I checked out a book from the high school library that probably should’ve come with a warning label. I don’t remember the title, but I do remember the content—and some of it was just strange enough to stick with me all these years.

It talked about these bizarre “floating transporter” or black hole-type phenomena. Not the kind you see in science class, but the kind where you’re casually walking down the street one minute and—boom—you’re suddenly somewhere else entirely. Like from downtown New York City to Flagstaff, Arizona, without so much as a layover or a boarding pass.

One story in particular has lived rent-free in my brain ever since. A young man finishes his shower, grabs his towel, steps out… and instead of his bathroom floor, he’s standing in the middle of a cornfield a hundred miles away. Just like that. No explanation. No Uber receipt. Just corn.

At the time, I filed that away under “well, that’s weird, but okay” and went on with life.

Fast forward to today, and I’m starting to think that book might not have been fiction after all.

Because there is absolutely no logical explanation for what is currently happening in my life.

Let me present Exhibit A: my $300 Nikon Coolpix camera. Gone. Vanished. No note, no struggle, no sign of forced entry. It didn’t even have the decency to die dramatically—it just quietly slipped out of existence like it had better places to be.

And now… Exhibit B: my Kindle.

This one stings a little more because it’s not just a gadget. I’ve been using it daily—reading my devotionals, going through the ESV Bible, bringing it to Tuesday morning Bible study, even taking it with me to church on Sundays. It’s been part of my routine.

And here’s where things take a turn into Twilight Zone territory.

After church on Sunday, I did what I always do. I put my Kindle into my book bag. My wife was standing right there. She saw it happen. I have a witness. This is not speculation—this is documented behavior.

I put the bag in my truck. No stops. No detours. No shady back-alley Kindle deals.

We go to lunch. The bag stays locked in the back seat the entire time.

We get home. I grab the bag, head upstairs, unzip it, reach in…

No Kindle.

Gone.

Just… gone.

I called the church—nothing turned in. I tore apart my truck—nothing. My wife and I went through the house like we were being paid by the hour—nothing. I even had the entire maintenance staff at the church looking for it, which I’m sure made me look completely sane and rational.

Still nothing.

At this point, I’m left with only two possible explanations:

  1. I’ve somehow developed the ability to misplace objects at a level previously thought impossible by modern science.
  2. There is, in fact, a rogue black hole or interdimensional transporter following me around, casually snatching my belongings and dropping them into random cornfields across America.

Honestly, I’m leaning toward option two. It just makes more sense.

So here’s where you come in.

If you’re out walking—anywhere in the U.S. or even internationally—and you happen to come across a lonely Kindle sitting next to a plastic bag containing a Nikon camera (probably looking just as confused as you are), please take note of the location.

If you’re feeling generous, grab it.

I will gladly pay shipping to have it returned to its rightful, slightly bewildered owner.

Until then, I’ll be over here keeping a close eye on my wallet… and maybe avoiding cornfields altogether.

My Hobbies Are Cheaper Than Therapy (Mostly)

05 Thursday Mar 2026

Posted by Tim Hughes Living with CML in Amateur Radio, Cancer, Depression, Fishing, Kayaking, Leukemia, Life, Nature, Uncategorized, Woodworking

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Tags

books, escape, Fishing, hands on, health, Hobbies, Kindle, Life, Mental, mental-health, Nature, Reading, Stress, traveling, Woodworking, writing

Let’s talk about hobbies.

Hobbies can serve many purposes. AI summarizes them as follows:

  • Provide relaxation and stress relief from daily pressures
  • Foster creativity and self-expression through various activities
  • Enhance skills and knowledge in specific areas of interest
  • Promote social connections and friendships with like-minded individuals
  • Improve mental health and overall well-being through enjoyable pursuits
  • Offer a sense of accomplishment and personal fulfillment

I’ll have to agree with most of these, but a couple stand out more than others for me. The ones that stand out the most are relaxation, creativity, self-expression, and mental health. Most importantly, mental health.

I’ll be the first to admit, and my wife would be the first to agree, that I have way too many hobbies. A short list would include fishing (of course), reading, woodworking, Amateur Radio, camping, and cooking. If I’m being completely honest, the list is probably a little longer than that, but I’ll stop there before my wife reads this and starts counting.

I’m not someone who enjoys just sitting around the house. I have to be doing something. I love the outdoors and enjoy most anything that takes me outside, whether it’s camping or traveling somewhere just for the day. Sitting still for too long makes me feel like something must be broken… or worse, that someone is about to hand me a chore.

I’ve always been good with my hands, and I enjoy making things out of wood or repairing things that need fixing. When I was a kid, I used to get into trouble because I was always taking things apart just to see how they worked. The only problem was that I wasn’t always successful at putting them back together. Apparently, parents don’t appreciate curiosity when it involves their appliances.

On rainy days, I like to curl up with a good book that allows my mind to travel to places I may never be able to visit. Reading also helps take my mind off the stresses of the day.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that people are reading this who have far greater health concerns than I do. But regardless of your health, you may have had a bad day at work, an argument with your spouse, or just received a bill you know you can’t pay. Each of us faces stress in our lives that can be difficult to deal with.

Because of that, each of us needs to find some sort of escape—a place where we can go, even if it’s only for a short time, to gather our thoughts. Sometimes, that time allows us to find a way to deal with the situation at hand. Other times, it helps us realize we need to talk with someone who can help us sort things out.

As an outsider, I can’t tell you what to do. I can only offer suggestions about what works for me.

When I find myself in a situation where I know I’m going to be stressed, I grab my Kindle and start reading. Before I knew it, my mind had drifted away from whatever was bothering me. For example, the wreck I had the other day has been stressing me out more than it probably should. There’s nothing I can do right now but wait for the police report to be submitted. Unfortunately, patience has never been one of my stronger qualities.

But when I picked up my Kindle and started reading, before long my mind was somewhere else entirely—and not thinking about insurance adjusters, body shops, or police reports.

I also have the unfortunate routine of visiting the doctor for lab work or appointments at least three times a month—sometimes more. This week alone, I had three appointments, and the month has just started. At this point, I’m starting to feel like the waiting room staff should just give me my own assigned chair.

Thankfully, I enjoy reading. Last year, I read 45 books, and quite a few of them were finished while waiting for a doctor to call my name. I also read quite a bit before going to bed. It helps me relax and takes away some of the stress from the day.

Another hobby I’ve written about before is fishing. Of course, I enjoy catching fish when I go, but honestly, that’s only part of it. What I enjoy most is the solitude. Being out there gives me time to think without distractions.

Sometimes I’ll paddle out to the middle of the river, set the paddle down, and just listen to the birds and the other sounds of nature. Every once in a while, a fish even cooperates and jumps on the hook just to make the trip look productive.

To me, that’s more relaxing than just about anything else I’ve found.

Most of the time, I come home from a fishing trip in a better mood—whether I catch anything or not. Of course, catching something does make the ride home a little sweeter. It also helps justify all the fishing gear I’ve somehow managed to accumulate over the years.

I guess what this post really boils down to is this:

Find your happy place.

Find a place where you can go—either physically or mentally—to relax and get away from it all. Only you will know where that place is.

Stress has a way of dragging us down, sometimes to a place where it becomes very difficult to climb back out. I’ve been there, and I know what it feels like.

Luckily, I was able to find my place and climb my way back before the stress got to a point where I couldn’t.

And that’s why hobbies matter more than most people realize.

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