A number of people called me brave when I quit my marketing career of 11 years to volunteer in India. A handful more said, “I wish I could do that!” when I set off afterwards to travel solo for a year around Southeast Asia and Latin America. Maybe in their eyes, yes, and somewhat in … Continued
Dear America Dear America, I need to apologize to you the way an adult with kids of their own has to apologize to their parents for rebellious teen age years. I never appreciated you until I left home. Last year when I “finally” packed my bags and left the country for half a year … Continued
St. Gallen, a Swiss Vignette Photo and Story by Annie Palovcik Crisscrossing Switzerland by rail on a ten-day Spring excursion, my husband Tom and I discover St. Gallen, just an hour out of Zurich. It is an elegant mediaeval town in a high northeastern alpine valley. Its stunning Abbey cathedral and library complex are known … Continued
Israel is a land of multiple religions in a country surrounded by enemies on all borders. The Jewish people have occupied the land for generations. A land of sand, mountain terrain, minimal water and a warm climate is home to a truly brave peoples. In this coastal country one finds great strives made by a couragous people … Continued
The map at the gated entry to the forest hike through the Dutch countryside promised some sort of crossing, be it bridge or land, at the waist of an hourglass shaped lake. However, after reaching the bank through the woods, I found only a wide stretch of water, the rest of my hike unreachable ahead … Continued
Rathlin Island Have you ever wished that you could return to a childhood state where your biggest dilemma might be whether you needed to take a bicycle pump when going for a cycle? Dreamed of somewhere you could go where you could clear your head and make some brave decisions about your life and your … Continued
Schauer Cold summer rain had drenched the city mer hours before I set off into the Englischer Gartens. I walk up river. The water was fast and loud, the sound of bike bells and the occasional chatter of teenagers was nearly washed out by the sound. The ground is soft and wet beneath my feet, … Continued
Hello, I’m Bailey Hudella and the place that inspires me to be brave is Forest Lake, Minnesota. It isn’t much here, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. They’re so many reasons why this place inspires me, but it all begins with the seasons. Unlike many places Minnesota experiences all four seasons and each … Continued
I stand at the counter of my humid kitchen, hair tied back and hands pressed against the hundred-year-old wood, peering into my glass cabinet for a measuring jug. I double check my sister’s rice pudding recipe, which is also my mother’s, which was also my granny’s. I run my finger down the blue patterned card … Continued
On Rocks and Being Brave There isn’t a rock climber on the planet who can deny the deep-seated fear of falling. What scares the hell out of climbers is often more challenging than the physical realities of the climb. But while accounts of unfortunate accidents and climber deaths are sobering reminders of the sport’s inherent … Continued