With a keen sense for connections and a sharp eye for detail, the author tracks major currents of public life as well as smaller eddies of private existence. Seven decades of accumulated personal and inherited experiences provide a rich reservoir of life wisdom. The author now uses this as a reflective surface to categorize events and find his way. The intention is not to instruct others, but rather to seek personal orientation—though with sufficient potential for modeling to gently provoke thought and repeatedly invigorate the reader's sense of direction.