Tickling the Bear: How to Stay Safe in the Universe

When Marc Blake, a prominent anthropology professor, widower and father, is given a diagnosis with little chance of survival, he steps out of “normal life” to seek more meaning in whatever time is left. He draws inspiration from the strength his wife showed in her marathon run with Alzheimer’s and also is supported by the resilience of his entrepreneurial daughter, back-to-the-land brother, and closest friends, Japanese-American herbalist Kai and his wife May, a climate change activist.

Marc’s journey takes him from his Denver home to his brother’s Northern California small-acre organic farm where, despite financial challenges, the hard-working family enjoys the simple yet often overlooked pleasures of life: working in the garden, hiking a coastal trail or playing a musical instrument. Family members resolve relationship squabbles, carve totem poles, even sky-dive over Sonoma County as a family, literally making leaps of faith into a better future.

Despite his persistent optimism and an invigorating romantic encounter, Marc ultimately faces the importance of accepting what he cannot control, enduring demoralizing side-effects from medications. Meanwhile, his herbalist friend Kai secretively takes matters into his own hands, traveling halfway around the world to the island of Borneo where the disease originated, in search of a precise, indigenous cure.

Ultimately, much is lost along the way, but much is also gained, as possibilities, hope and gratitude are found in deep connections with the beauty of nature, culture and, especially, each other.

BIO:

David Wann is an author, filmmaker, and speaker on the topic of sustainable lifestyles and designs. Simple Prosperity is a sequel to the best-selling book he coauthored, Affluenza, which is now in 9 languages. A third book in the “trilogy” about creating a more sensible way of life is The New Normal, published by St. Martin’s press. It presents 33 high-leverage actions that can shift our culture in a more sustainable direction.

He has also produced 20 videos and TV programs, including the award-winning TV documentary “Designing a Great Neighborhood,” about the Holiday neighborhood in Boulder. David worked more than a decade as a policy analyst for U.S. EPA and co-designed the cohousing neighborhood where he lives, in Golden.