Dick Geary: Recovering from pneumonia and a few other things, and thankful for help

For most of my life I've considered myself to be a misanthrope, harboring a soft contempt for my fellow humans. I think that philosophy was a contrivance to protect my own fragile and shallow ego. The events of these last two months proved me wrong in my sour opinion of the human race.

I lived in Brazil for the last two-and-a-half years, and about a month ago became quite ill with pneumonia and...