A Journey to Elsewhere

Leonard Tuchyner looks back from the perspective of seventy-two years and realizes that life is not a spectator sport. It is filled with beauty, hardship, paradox, joy and suffering, and always there are the options of understanding and growth. Sooner or later, we retire from this life's game, whether we want to or not. The lessons are always about the journey, and the trip is always "A Journey to Elsewhere." He has tried to capture some of the poetry of this voyage in his book, in the hope that it will help the readers to appreciate the bitter and sweet of their own passages through their present lives. Many of his insights and experiences have been gleaned from forty-seven years as a psychotherapist in Virginia and Florida, in which people have shared their most intimate experiences-from the profane to the sublime-from the mundane to the spiritual. A lifetime of gardening, martial arts and love of nature has also been the source of inspiration and understanding. For the last three decades, Mr. Tuchyner has been legally blind, but insists the condition has added to his inner vision. A licensed psychotherapist for 47 years, Leonard Tuchyner facilitates a seniors' "Writing for Healing & Growth" group and is also an active member in the Charlottesville, Virginia, writing community. His poetry, short stories and articles are featured in various periodicals, magazines, anthologies and local newspapers. He resides in Greene County, Virginia, with his wife of thirty years, two dogs, an old cat, and flocks of birds that hang out in his trees and enjoy an on-deck free handout.