Category Archives: Inspiration

Look Up – It’s Snowing in Joshua Tree National Park

Look Up – It’s Snowing in Joshua Tree National Park
Recently on a cross-country road trip, along Route 66, I was yet again surprised by Mother Nature. After crossing portions of the Mojave Desert, I arrived at Joshua Tree National Park to snow. When one thinks of Joshua Tree, you think of the one-of-a-kind strange trees, piles of boulders, and desert landscape: dry and most…
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First Adventure of the Year – Road Trip from Indy to Cali along Route 66

First Adventure of the Year – Road Trip from Indy to Cali along Route 66
While most people were watching the ball drop in Times Square, fireworks, or singing ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ I was zzzzzzzzz, fast asleep. Even though I was in California (PST), I couldn’t make it to midnight in New York (EST). What would make me, a forty-something, sleepy at 9pm (PST)? The culprit was a week-long cross-country…
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Favorite Look Up Reminders of 2019

Favorite Look Up Reminders of 2019
We all need reminders. Life is busy. Sometimes the to-do list is really as long as a CVS receipt. That's why I created the Look Up Mantra in 2010. Since then, I share Look Up with readers of my books and blog as well as for those that travel with me to Cuba, Japan, Ireland,…
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Ichi-go Ichi-e – Living in the Moment Along the Kumano Kodo of Japan

Ichi-go Ichi-e – Living in the Moment Along the Kumano Kodo of Japan
"While hiking the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route in one of the most scenic areas in Japan, a visitor starts to learn the local customs and get lessons in cherishing every gathering: "Ichi-go Ichi-e." With each footstep, I could hear the water whoosh from within my boots. Since daybreak, I had been walking amongst the dense,…
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Thankful for Look Up

Thankful for Look Up
Once a year, most of us, at least in the United States and Canada, celebrate Thanksgiving. We gather with friends and family to celebrate life, giving thanks to our blessings while indulging in smorgasbords of favorite dishes.  As the holiday approaches, I was reminded of a special Thanksgiving that I wrote about in When All…
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Hiking the Kumano Kodo Japan – Adventure Travel to Japan

Hiking the Kumano Kodo Japan – Adventure Travel to Japan
Kumano Kodo Japan If you are like most of the world, you probably have never heard of the Kumano Kodo. I didn't know of it either until I was introduced to the Kumano Kodo trek by friends with whom I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. I certainly knew where Japan was, but I…
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Remembering to Look Up in Ireland

Remembering to Look Up in Ireland
Happy Look Up Day! Although starting out as a holiday in 2010 to remind us all to: 1) Be in the moment & 2) Find the upside, Look Up Day has morphed into embracing the Look Up mantra/life tool for every day and anywhere you are. Recently on an adventure to discover my roots in…
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Look Up Mantra Explained

Look Up Mantra Explained
A When All Balls Drop Moment On September 27, 2009, a hard knock in the head reminded me of the power of perspective. Some say my freak accident was being at the wrong place at the wrong time, but I believe I was in the right place at the right time. From that blunt run-in…
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Look Up from Oahu Hawaii to Prepare for Japan

Look Up from Oahu Hawaii to Prepare for Japan
Revisiting the Hawaiian Islands The beauty of Hawaii never gets old: majestic mountain views and dreamy seascapes; however, it is a long way from everywhere. Last month, on a return visit to Oahu, I used both Mother Nature and distance to my advantage to inspire this Look Up lesson and new adventure. Time Zones Away…
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Look Up from Walden Pond

Look Up from Walden Pond
Walden Pond This month, I revisited a special place, Walden Pond. Located a short drive from my mother’s home in Massachusetts, this small pond and wooded area was made famous by Henry David Thoreau in the mid-1800s. Its small, wooden cabin was his home for two years, two months, and two days. During which time,…
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