Still We Rise. It should come as no surprise that I am an avid reader. My problem is when I start a good book, I have a tendency to tune out the world until said book is completed. I did just that with the international bestseller, Maude. I started reading and didn’t put it down until it was finished. On occasion, I’ve written a book review or two which I’ve shared here with our readers. My Life in France and Grandma Gatewood’s Walk are two such books. Please tell me you’ve read both. For that matter, please tell me you’ve read, Maude.

Google memories reminded me that five years ago, April 2015, we were just finding our stride as we started walking what would be 350 miles on the Camino de Santiago across Spain. One year ago, April 2019, we set out to walk 145 miles of the Camino Portuguese. Taking on a long walk is a journey in which one can easily lose track of time and days. It becomes your life, all consuming. Now, here we are, April 2020, living by far the most surreal existence to date. I call it, life in a pandemic bubble. I can’t define it any other way. It too, is all consuming.

If ever the world needed Mr. Rogers, now is the time. We could use his sense of calm, sincerity and wisdom. The world seems to be caught in the antithesis of Mr. Rogers’ goodness.

Social distancing. It’s the new catch phrase (hashtag). Unless you’ve been living in the most remote parts of the world, you’re well-aware of the headlines. The coronavirus has been declared, by the world health organization, to be a pandemic. And, to go along with that bit of news, it has been suggested, worldwide, that we all engage in the practice of social distancing.

Coronavirus outbreak, it’s the headline being heard around the world. Wherever you are in this vast world of ours, you’ve surely read the headlines, or listened to a broadcast, about the spread of the virus. The news is inescapable.

What I don’t know about art could fill a book, but I know what I like and that’s all that matters, right? What’s that old saying, beauty is in the eye of the beholder? It’s common knowledge the museums of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC are well-known and highly regarded.  However, it’s not so commonly known that the Sackler and Freer Galleries, together form the Smithsonian’s museums of Asian Art.  They may not be as well-known, but they are definitely well-worth visiting.

Any visit to Washington, DC should include a walk on the National Mall. One can easily spend an entire day walking and exploring the 2-mile loop trail along the National Mall and another 2-mile loop around the Tidal Basin. Taking in the sites and memorials that line the mall will keep everyone interested.  To make it easier for visitors to the city, we’re sharing a few insider tips and helpful hints, for taking a walk on the National Mall.

I’m not one to have a “bucket list” nor do I proclaim New Year’s resolutions. I’m finding the older more experienced I get the less I worry about long-term planning, or pretty much making any plans at all.  Perhaps it has something to do with retirement and the level of flexibility and freedom it offers.  Or, maybe, it’s just because I’ve stopped worrying about what might happen, opting instead to live in the here and now.

To say the least it’s been a rough start to the new year, the new decade.  I’m not sure anything more could happen to make the headlines around the world any worse, but I shouldn’t jinx it.  The images and reports coming out of Australia are heartbreaking.  Puerto Rico has declared a state of emergency after a series of earthquakes, and hundreds of thousands protesters, led by the courage of a seventeen-year-old girl, are taking to the streets every Friday around the world, to bring awareness to climate change.  And, of course, the contentious conflict between the US and Iran, which has me thinking of our travels through Iran.

Each year for the past several years I’ve published a list of Christmas quotes; a list of inspiration if you will. It’s no surprise that I think the past couple of years, in particular, have found many of us in need of a little extra dose of holiday inspiration; something to help us find joy in the moment while we hold on to hope for the future.

Maybe some sort of Christmas miracle?  Or, at the very least a beautiful Christmas melody to make us smile and cry with emotion at the same time.  Take a few minutes and listen until the end, I promise it will touch your heart.