I suffer from a long term chronic illness which affects my health severely. In 2009 I was convinced to get away from my home town and start anew in North Queensland. The move initially helped but after the excitement of a new place wore off my health continued to degrade. Soon I could not concentrate … Continued
Winter’s Tale: Winter, for some visitors to Clearwater Beach, Florida is a season to escape but for others, especially those in need of inspiration, she’s an animal to seek out. Named for the season in which she was rescued, Winter is an eight-year-old dolphin who is inspiring child amputees, Iraqi war vets and medical researchers … Continued
When our patients and their parents heard that we were going to Kenya and would visit a school in Kibera—one of the largest slums in the world—many of them asked if we could take some supplies for the children there. One mother had her children use their allowance to buy books, others brought colored pencils, … Continued
As a child who lived for make-believe, war was about good-guys fighting bad-guys and princes slaying dragons. Often, I pranced around the living room, fencing with an imaginary nemesis, only to be waved away from the idiot box. I never took much note of the sad faces with downcast eyes, as they often uttered a … Continued
I enter online contests all the time. I never expect to win but my way of thinking is if I don’t enter, I definitely won’t win! At some point during the spring or summer of 2012, I entered a contest to win a week long stay at a yoga retreat in Montezuma, Costa Rica. In … Continued
The first thing that hit me was the embarrassment. It was only when I was back on my feet that I realised my legs were pouring with blood. It was pitch black and I ‘d been walking across uneven paving, but the alcohol undoubtedly contributed. I hadn’t fallen far but my pride had taken a … Continued
Sitting in a small circle around the fire that evening, darkness fell all around us. Beyond the glow of the fire, the endless sand dunes that extended outward in every direction fell asleep in the alluring shadows of the night. Above us, the scintillating stars in the infinite sky twinkled with divine secrets to which … Continued
At this very moment, I work the ‘front office’ at a hotel made solely with old authentic teak, a destination you may not be aware on a crater-like mountain range in Indonesia. In other words, I am a receptionist at a hotel but I always like to say “going to the office now” to my … Continued
Surfing Lessons in Costa Rica A few years back, I vowed to learn to surf before turning 50. Then in a blink of an eye, there was only 6 months left to make good on my promise. ‘One day’ phrases start to sound sad instead of inspired if not acted on. At almost 50, ‘one day … Continued
It’s 7 a.m. and the metal bus outside my house rumbles to life. Drenched to the bone with sweet, sticky sweat, stiff and nervous, I arrived in a little Nicaraguan village called La Ceiba. I mulled the words over in my mouth like a smooth caramel, “La…Ceiba. La Ceiba.” The sting of diesel, the unsullied … Continued