“Feeling Sequimish”
Mark Couhig
Contact Mark at mcouhig@sequimgazette.com
Mark Couhig has been a writer for more than 50 years.  
His first experience with the written word arrived at a very early age when he was required to painstakingly hand-trace dotted lines in a notebook, a process that led first to a mastery of the straight, purely angular letters of the English alphabet. He soon turned his attention to the curved letters, exhibiting a full proficiency in that skill by the end of his seventh year.
Before another year had passed, Couhig had begun to cluster letters into meaningful compositions, an accomplishment for which he was awarded a coveted gold star, the first-ever public acknowledgement of his extraordinary aptitude with words.
In time he would take these words and strategically create further clusters, which he called “sentences.”
Paragraphs soon followed.
In the third grade Couhig learned the skill of cursive writing, allowing him to greatly expand and accelerate his output.
Over the ensuing months and years Couhig’s now-renown facility for dramatic narrative developed. He was able to work the delicate filigree of fiction — dramatic, purposeful action that engages the reader — to a degree that astonished Ms. Sweeney, his teacher and mentor. Of one of Couhig’s early works, “Run, Tom, Run,” she wrote, “I’m so proud of you.”  
As his facility with words grew, so too did his worldview, aided in part by his assiduous readings of “The Weekly Reader,” which he continues to regard as a formative influence in his later, more mature works.
In the fifth grade, Couhig’s repertoire and love of the written word translated to a sterling turn on the stage as Shepherd No. 3 in a new and dynamic dramatic reading of the Gospel According to Luke, a popular work of the time.
Approximately 50 years later Couhig moved to Sequim where he writes a blog.  

It’s that time of year when we look over our past failings, whine about them and vow to do better next year.

It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, or as I like to call them, preludes to failure. That’s because no one can be perfect, of course. Not even me.

But every day, in every way, you can get better and better. Let’s begin by making a simple promise to ourselves: next year, less whining, fewer vows.

1. Diet and Weight Loss: This year I will lose 20 pounds and toward that end I hereby resolve to make my appointment immediately with the liposuctionist.

2. Exercise More: in 2012 I firmly resolve I will exercise more often, and more vigorously, than in 2011. To aid in that effort, I stopped exercising altogether last July.

3. Help Others. This year, I fervently pray, dear Lord, that with the help of your grace I will give more freely to those in need. I even more fervently pray, dear Lord, that you will deliver your part in this bargain by way of that very special lottery ticket I’ve been asking for lo these many years.

4. Spend More Time with Family. This year I swear, dear wife, I will learn the name of my son-in-law and the up-to-the-minute number of my grandchildren.

5. Quit Drinking. After midnight Dec. 31, 2011, I won’t drink any more alcoholic beverages. The punchline, if you actually require it: Of course, I won’t drink any less, either.

6. Quit Smoking. Next year I will quit smoking, quit emitting gamma rays and quit bursting into spectacular displays of pyrotechnics.

7. Chill. I will reduce my stress levels by better understanding that stress is largely self-generated. If I can simply stop worrying about “eating,” “having a roof over my head,” and “paying for my car,” I can relax and live out the rest of my greatly abbreviated life in peace.

8. Get Out of Debt. This year I promise to pay off my credit cards utilizing a whole new set of credit cards.

9. Learn Something New. I may investigate this whole interwebs thing. Sounds like it might grow into something big.

10. Get Organized. Speaking of which: Has anyone seen my stapler? It was here a minute ago.