On our hut-to-hut trip through the Dolomites of Italy, Reka and I befriended a couple from Scotland. Jasmine is a teacher and her husband, Ioan, is a professor. Ioan is a Welsh name for John and one that I struggled with pronouncing correctly. The primary reason I enjoyed his company so much wasn’t because we…
Socialism versus capitalism…don’t like it? You’re a fascist. On our recent sabbatical to northern Italy, Reka and I began finding the crowds and heat unbearable, so we chose to head to Croatia and the Adriatic coast. Knowing little of the military history of Croatia, we decided to go to the museum located on a high…
While resting at a beautiful hut perched high in the Dolomite Mountains, Reka and I shared a table with an older Italian couple that spoke no English and a German mom (about our age) with her 30-year-old deaf daughter. I know a handful (no pun intended) of American Sign Language from my sister, who teaches…
As I mentioned in the last blog, our recent trip to northern Italy was incredible. Along the 90-mile hike, we noticed the diverse cross-section of people of all ages, sexes, nationalities, languages, and skill and fitness levels. Because we went nine days without seeing another American, we tended to congregate with other English-speaking individuals –…
My wife, Reka, and I just completed a 90-mile hiking/climbing trip through the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy. This trip through extremely jagged peaks was nothing short of amazing! Throughout the entire region, there’s a network of “refugios”, or huts, that offer a place for hikers to rest, eat, congregate, and rejuvenate. They were originally…
I love to travel. Last week, I discussed how I’ve reframed my thinking when traveling. Because of a hip and knee replacement, I’m obligated to have much more patience with TSA and security personnel. I previously struggled with the notion of “forced compliance”, but I’ve reached a point where I don’t allow it to impact…
My wife, Reka, and I are extremely fortunate to be living the lives we do. We’ve established travel as one of our top priorities and we wholeheartedly embrace it. So, for the sake of this blog series, I fully understand that experiencing frustrations as outlined below is very much a “first-world problem”. On a…
Clarity breaks give your brain the space, and time, to work on higher-level concerns. Our subconscious mind is an unbelievably powerful, fantastic tool, but we don’t really understand and utilize it as well as we could or should. It is my belief that our subconscious is always processing challenges and whatever other issues we’re dealing…
Yep. You read that correctly. I’m an old guy, and I believe that millennials just may be one of the smartest and hardest working generations. But, to ignite their work ethic, it’s crucial to get their buy in and to be clear about the “why”. As a certified old guy (I turned 50 last year),…
As people from the middle-aged (yes, my) generation, we are the bridge between today’s seniors, the baby boomers and millennials. The seniors have seen war and carry the baggage inherited from their parents. Seniors of today had parents who were directly impacted by World Wars, the Great Depression, occasional famine, and disease. Today’s millennials, on…