With soap operas, the absurd is common (long-lost identical twin, anyone?). In the SPD, you would expect concerns to be less outrageous, but it is wise to retain a degree of skepticism and a dose of critical thinking. Sometimes, what’s left unsaid—or undone—requires some serious investigation.

If you look very closely you might be able to see a long-running soap opera playing out several times a day in your SPD. Like any daytime Emmy winner, this story features multiple players involved in complex relationships that produce unanticipated and often undesirable consequences.

Do you remember the story of the Little Engine that could? It’s about determination. It's clear that pulling the train over the mountain is not easy for the little engine. The little engine's repetition of 'I think I can' represents the power of determination and is a metaphor for reaching any challenging goal.

I’ve heard and been concerned about ever present PFAS, but it wasn’t until I got an environmentally induced condition requiring surgery, and learned how my dog’s flea and tick repellent included PFAS that I realized that it must be in this week’s blog.