I started this blog to share some of the thoughts I have along the journey of life. I love to travel and spend time with my family and friends. A good meal, breaking bread with those I love, gives my life meaning. So does travel. I adore dreaming of sites to visit, not just to check them off on a list. Rather, I consider myself a student of life, traveling as an explorer, to open my mind to all the possibilities the world holds in store for me and for others. I love to travel to discover how different the world is in terms of climate, cultures, politics, terrain, economy, etc. but also to discover how SIMILAR the people are. Despite language barriers, much can be communicated with a smile or gestures. Language is simply a means to communicate, yet there are so very many other ways to communicate. Once when I was in French-speaking Canada, I realized that my 7th grade French class didn’t teach me the word for “straw”. However, when I thought about it, I was able to communicate to the very French-speaking waiter in a very French-speaking restaurant about my need for a “cylinder through which to drink” in my limited French vocabulary. Travel challenges the mind and soul, stretching us to problem solve and form conclusions about all that we experience. THAT is the type of travel I enjoy best. “All’s well that ends well”, as they say………….”Life is Good” as well.
Toilet paper display at the Point WC, a public restroom on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, which also sells luxury bathroom items such as colored toilet paper
“Another way to be prepared is to think negatively. Yes, I’m a great optimist. but, when trying to make a decision, I often think of the worst case scenario. I call it ‘the eaten by wolves factor.’ If I do something, what’s the most terrible thing that could happen? Would I be eaten by wolves? One thing that makes it possible to be an optimist, is if you have a contingency plan for when all hell breaks loose. There are a lot of things I don’t worry about, because I have a plan in place if they do.”
Randy Pausch was an inspirational Carnegie Mellon University professor who died of pancreatic cancer when is was still a very rare disease in 2008. When he found out he had cancer, he decided to write what he considered his “last lecture” of his observations about life and delivered it lecture-style in class in 2007. He was a champion of making every day matter. I am reminded of him today when I hear the panic that is happening about the coronavirus. The best way to handle it, in my opinion, is to acknowledge its seriousness, make a plan, be prepared, and don’t fret the outcome. Rather, spend the time enjoying the moments along the way and keep living, enjoying your life, and having fun as best as you can.
So……..what IS the worst thing that could happen I run out of toilet paper? I don’t think I would be “eaten by wolves”, or any other animal either for that matter, so it will be okay………….and we don’t really need to worry about it, because we “have a plan.” Maybe facial tissues could double for that dreadful day!
In the meantime, I try to see the beauty in every day……..while every day may not be beautiful, there IS beauty in every day, even while we are coping with Corona to come knocking at our door.
Beautiful bathroom stalls in one of the airports in Paris, reminding us to see the beauty in every place every day….
How about getting out of the house today with a touch of whimsy before Corona comes knocking at your door? You can head to your local field or beach to fly a kite while still maintaining appropriate “social distance.” When was the last time you ran with the wind in your hair and a kite in your hand? It IS March, after all…..
“You can have your own set of wings With your feet on the ground You’re a bird in flight With your fist holding tight To the string of your kite Oh, oh, oh! Let’s go fly a kite Up to the highest height! Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring Up through the atmosphere Up where the air is clear Oh, let’s go fly a kite! When you send it flyin’ up there All at once you’re lighter than air You can dance on the breeze Over ‘ouses and trees With your first ‘olding tight To the string of your kite Oh, oh, oh! Let’s go fly a kite Up to the highest height! Let’s go fly a kite and send it soaring Up through the atmosphere Up where the air is clear Let’s go fly a kite!”
-“Let’s Go Fly A Kite” song by David Tomlinson from the movie “Mary Poppins”, 1964
Get outside and have some fun today; the sky’s the limit!Carpe diem, friends…………..
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
– Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “The Little Prince”
Love, friendship, hope, compassion, peace, adventure, confidence, bravery, contentment, curiosity, freedom, kindness, patience, and perseverance all come to my mind.
The Dutch have it right AGAIN! Instead of Niksen, the art of purposely doing “nothing”, another Dutch approach to enjoying life is called “hygge” (pronounced “hoo-gah”). Hygge centers around enjoying the little things in life that provide us comfort. Although spring is upon us, providing warmer weather in some parts of the country, other parts of the country are still experiencing a bit of a chill. Fire in a fireplace? That’s hygge. Scented candles burning in your home? That’s hygge. Meals with comfort food and friends? That’s hygge. Big comfortable furniture with a soft throw blanket draped around you? That’s hygge. Your favorite hot tea, cappuccino, or coffee served in a china cup? That’s hygge. A long indulgent bubble bath with scented candles burning on the sides? That’s hygge. A bite of a delicious Belgian chocolate? That’s hygge. Anything and everything comfortable and cozy? Now THAT’S hygge!
High tea treats in Bath, England
While you are trying to take your mind off the corona virus situation in our lives right now, turn off your phone and turn on some soft music, sip a hot beverage, light a fire, and burn some scented candles after dinner. You will most likely experience comfort and contentment that will take your mind off of the virus knocking at your door.
Bananas Foster served outdoors over an open flame with family gathered around
Hygge, loosely translated as “to give courage, comfort, and joy”, will help you to live deliberately with comfortable intentions. They say it’s the “little things that matter.” Why not give it a try? Today choose pastry over healthy food for a change. Maybe a bite of a brownie, freshly baked cookies, or Bananas Foster………..
Sign from Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands, showing an attitude of gratitude
Enjoy today; find some comfort. Enjoy the little things. Carpe diem, friends…..
Closets could be cleaned. Chicken could be cooked. Soup could be simmered. There are myriads of things to do when self-isolating. Today, I prefer the good ol’ fashioned daydream…….
Day dream : noun – a pleasant visionary usually wishful creation of the imagination (Merriam Webster Dictionary)
Day dream: noun – a series of pleasant thoughts that distract one’s attention from the present (Google)
Day dream: – noun – pleasant thoughts that make you forget about the present (Oxford Dictionary)
Day dream: – noun – a series of pleasantthoughts about something you would prefer to be doing or something you would like to achieve in the future…………… (Cambridge.org)
Venice, Italy
Today, I’m thinking of all the places I would love to travel to in my lifetime…..Egypt, China (The Great Wall for certain), The Ice Hotel in Quebec, Antarctia, Venice (AGAIN!)………the list goes on and on in my mind while I accomplish the mundane tasks of cooking and freezing food in case we have a “shelter in place” in the near future here in Florida. The art of the armchair travel keeps me sane while the travel restrictions are in place for the time being.
Venice, Italy
“What a day for a daydream What a day for a daydreamin’ boy……..
And even if time ain’t really on my side It’s one of those days for taking a walk outside I’m blowing the day to take a walk in the sun And fall on my face in somebody’s new mowed lawn
I’ve been havin’ a sweet dream I’ve been dreamin’ since I woke up today It’s starring me in my sweet dream….”
-“Daydream” by Lovin’ Spoonfuls
Venice, Italy
Life Is Good. Live while you are living. Go outside; get some fresh air…..OR…. maybe it’s time for a daydream today instead. Time to think about all the wonderful things you want to do when the virus clears the air. Keep dreaming. Keep sane.
The Dutch have it right. They actually have a word for doing nothing or being idle. The word is “Niksen.” In America, many have been conditioned to be super productive for all waking moments, or else we feel lazy. We even have a phrase that lauds the merits of multi-tasking, the colloquial phrase, to “kill two words with one stone.” But the Dutch know that there is a certain beauty of “doing nothing”, but with purpose, from time to time in order to reduce one’s stress level. Some gaze out the window while simply “being.” You can let your mind wander. It lets us dial down the noise in our lives while allowing everything to “be” around us without being an active participant in whatever is happening. Lying on your back in the grass watching the clouds roll by? That’s Niksen. Watching the waves crash upon the beach? That’s Niksen. Sitting on the couch and staring out the window on a rainy day? That’s Niksen. Laying on a bed looking at the ceiling? That’s Niksen. Sitting on a park bench watching the world go by? THAT’S Niksen.
While self-isolating because of corona, try a little Niksen; it’s good for the soul. In fact, the Dutch often use the phrase “lekker Niksen,” which means something like “deliciously nothing.” You might feel less stress from the corona situation if you dial it down, switch it off, and do nothing for a little while today if you can. You might even feel more productive, happier, and energized afterwards. You might even have the energy to clean that closet, you know the one that you have been putting off the WHOLE time you have been self-isolating, after all.
Life is good; the virus won’t live forever, and we won’t be living like
While we are at war with Corona, we stand united knowing that we will eventually win the war together. There are so many beautiful things happening right around us at the same time this virus takes its toll on our health, our family, our homes, our communities, our nations, and our world. But there is a glimmer of light, a bright spot on a dark dark day…..
Oh say can you see….how our community comes together to help those who need help?
Oh say can you see………how wonderful it is to have extra time with our families while self-isolating?
Oh say can you see…..how we have learned we really can do with less stuff?
Oh say can you see…..how we now have more time to tackle those projects we put off like refinishing some furniture?
Using Annie Sloane Chalk paint by mail order from “Purple Painted Lady” in NY to go from “drab” to fab” in the garage
Oh say can you see……how most of the time we really have all that we need in our homes already?
Oh say can you see…….how spending time with a good old fashioned board game with those we love really beats the computer any day?
“Teen Traveler”, my daughter, pulled this game off her shelf. We bought it last year not having a clue how ironic with would be to play THIS year.
Oh say can you see…..how resourceful we can be when we really put our minds to it?
Oh say can you see…..how much better dinner time is with a home-cooked meal shared with those you love at the dinner table at the same time?
Oh say can you see……how exciting the thrill of a scavenger hunt to find toilet paper at the store is when shared with your child?
Oh say can you see……..how you can calm your child’s fears if you model calm behavior yourself?
“Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?…..”
-“The Star Spangled Banner”, The United States of America National Anthem, by Francis Scott Key
Life is good; find the bright spot in the dark day today………
Gorse, a hardy and ubiquitous evergreen shrub in Scotland
Cabin fever continues. Wanderlust waits for no one. Coping with voluntary self-isolation with more armchair travel……….travel soothes the soul and gives one something to look forward to some day soon…..
Today I am visiting Scotland again in my mind. I am thinking of spring green grass, enduring castles, vibrant yellow daffodils in the spring, warm tea and scones, and visiting dear friends.
Starting in Inverness at the small airport, we rented a car to find the Loch Ness Monster last spring. Or rather, we went to visit the Loch Ness and the Scottish Highlands and JOKED about finding the Loch Ness Monster. The weather was cool but pleasant this time of year last year. Daily high temperatures are approximately 49°F, rarely falling below 39°F or exceeding 56°F. Daily low temperatures are usually around 36°F, rarely falling below 25°F or exceeding 43°F. Next to the Loch Ness we found two visitor centers that were small but gave our drive there a purpose.
Town Center in Inverness, Scotland, across the River Ness
Accommodations at the Best Western Palace and Spa in Inverness were stylish, clean, updated and charming, and they handed us a good ol’ fashioned key to our room. Our “River View Family Room” was in a mansion built in the 1800’s and was facing the River Ness, in front of Inverness Castle, which was built in 1836. The River View Room was worth the extra cost, as the ceilings were high, and there was a breathtaking picture window, too. The gray tones in the room’s decor and the chandelier gave the room a sense of quiet elegance and tranquility. There are no elevators to the second floor of the building that that we stayed in, which was right beside the main building, however. This hotel was one of the few in Inverness that had a large heated pool, which provided a welcome break from the cool weather outside. “Teen Traveler”, my daughter, swam there for hours catching up with her Scottish friend that we had come to visit. The hotel is just across the bridge from the town center with lots of shops, pubs, and even a major shopping mall (Eastgate).
Our room key at the Best Western Palace and Spa, InvernessRiver View Room at Best Western Palace and Spa, Inverness, with a view of Inverness Castle
This is the official website of the Best Western Palace and Spa in Inverness, Scotland:
Inverness Castle, along the River Ness, dotted with spring daffodils
Inverness Castle was rebuilt at the site of the original castle in Inverness, which was built in 1057 and destroyed. Legend has it that King Malcolm III of Scotland built the first Inverness Castle in 1057 to replace an earlier castle close by, which he destroyed, and in which Macbeth is said to have murdered Duncan I. Such history. Such culture. The present day Inverness castle houses offices, mostly court offices, and has limited public access inside.
A visit to a local kilt making shop in Inverness provided to be an unexpectedly interesting stop. The Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre and The Highland House of Frasier, located about a five minute walk from our hotel, showed a small movie about the cultural heritage of the kilt in Scotland. In one section of the Visitor Centre there were many mannequins wearing assorted kilts from years ago, too. What was particularly amazing, though, was to watch the present-day kiltmakers make kilts before our very eyes. These kilts are hand-sewn with ten stitches to the inch and are made from about eight yards of fabric. After seeing the intricate handwork that takes about two days per kilt, it is easy to see why these kilts are so expensive. They produce quality work and will ship all over the world. This place is definitely worth a visit if you have time.
Still making kilts by hand at the Scottish Kiltmaker Visitor Centre in Inverness
Driving west of Inverness, we traveled by car to Urquhart Castle, which is a ruin of one of the largest castles in Scotland. Sitting along side the Loch Ness, it is about thirteen miles south-west of Inverness and about a mile and a quarter east of the village of Drumnadrochit. Kids seem to love seeing the trebuchet there. The movie, “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes” (1970), was filmed here. It is also said to have inspired the writers of Disney Pixar when they visited Scotland to get ideas for the movie “Brave”.
Urquhart Castle, said to have provided some inspiration for the Disney Pixar Movie “Brave”
On place in Scotland that I dream of visiting some day, but we didn’t have time to visit, is Fingal’s Cave, on the island of Staffa in the inner Hebrides. This sea cave is formed by a volcanic eruption and is made entirely of hexagonally jointed basalt, almost like the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. Some say the cave was connected to the Giant’s Causeway at one time. It is also said by some that Mendelssohn visited the cave and was inspired to write one of his overtures (“The Hebrides”). Fingal’s Cave was known by the Celts as “The Cave of Melody” because of its natural acoustics. Guests can visit the cave by boat ride from one of the nearby islands (from Fionnphort, Ulva Ferry, Iona, Tobermory, Oban and Kilchoan). There is a walkway that visitors can use to go inside the cave, but boats only travel here and land in calm weather. The footing can be slippery and not for everyone, though.
Two useful websites that describe visiting Fingal’s Cave are the following:
Scotland is part of the United Kingdom and is known for its lush green landscapes dotted with castles, kilts, bagpipes, and whiskey. This is definitely a beautiful and charming place to visit if you can.
“…………See the world in green and blue See China right in front of you See the canyons broken by cloud See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out See the Bedouin fires at night See the oil fields at first light and See the bird with a leaf in her mouth…. After the flood all the colors came out
It was a beautiful day Don’t let it get away Beautiful day.”
-“Beautiful Day” by Bono
Go out and have a “beautiful day” for yourself. You can still get into the car to drive to watch a breathtaking sunset over a field, lake, or somewhere special while still maintaining “social distance or self-isolation.” Maybe you can even fly a kite with a spirit of whimsy near your home if you have the need to do something that you haven’t done in a while. While every day may not be beautiful, there is beauty in every day.
Life is good; enjoy the day. Carpe diem, friends………….
Cabin Fever. Wanderlust. Tough to be inside. Spring Break today, ” Teen Traveler” and I decided to venture out of the house to where we could maintain an appropriate “social distance” from others to protect ourselves from Covid-19. Living in Florida, we decided we would find a remote beach area where there were few people present. We searched for the perfect “Cast Aside Covid Cove” with a song in our hearts and our usual spirit of adventure.
Turtle Sculptures were originally auctioned off and placed in Vero Beach by Turtle Trax to raise awareness for mental health. There are over thirty turtle sculptures similar to this one in Vero Beach.
We traveled to Vero Beach, FL, where we found WAY too many people in the parking lots and on the beach for us to maintain our “social distance”, but we enjoyed our day trip to this magical place that is dotted with sea turtle sculptures in so many places. Vero Beach wasn’t as isolated a spot as we wanted, so we decided to drive further south until we found some hidden beach access somewhere else.
Local Beach access on A1A in St. Lucie County. Blink and you’ll miss it…..
I wanted to share this day with “Teen Traveler” to show her how we prepare for Corona to come knocking on our door. We think. We come up with a plan. We prepare. We have FUN! A day spent all alone with “Teen Traveler” where we went on a road trip, we laughed, we talked, we laughed some more, we listened to music from our respective generations, and we laughed some more was just what we needed.
“Teen Traveler” the mermaid
There were few people on the beach, but there was a red flag waving in the breeze. Native Floridians know this means to stay out of the water for some peril or another. One red flag means that the surf is high or there are dangerous currents or both. So, we decided to go into the water only up to our knees, but the surf was so high the waves hit our waists as they came rolling in toward shore. The water was cool at first (for the Native Floridians in the crowd), but we adjusted okay.
“Teen Traveler’s” Life Through a Lens………..
Being with my daughter reminded me of a song by Sia……….
“… I’ve been waiting for a magic moment But maybe there are magic moments Could it be a magic moment now? I’ve been waiting for a magic moment But maybe there are magic moments Baby it’s a magic moment nowBut darling it’s a magical, magical life, life, life Oh honey, it’s a magical, magical life, life, life And baby it’s a magical, magical life, life, life When you can find magic in every day, night, night, night….”
“Teen Traveler” contemplating…….serious one moment…………. ….then making “sand angels” in the sand instead of the snow the next minute…………..
We had a great day and we are already thinking of where we might take a day trip next week. Clear kayak on a Florida spring? Fly a kite at another beach? One thing is for certain. On Earth we have ONLY these five minutes. Time to go out to make a memory, as there is beauty everywhere.
Carpe Diem with Caye 