Category Archives: Inspiration

Finding the Upside during Quarantine

Finding the Upside during Quarantine
After two months of staying at home, losing work, canceling travel, and missing birthdays, graduations, and more, we are all getting a bit frustrated and even depressed. Plus, the news is all doom and gloom with an uncertain timeline as to when the new normal will arrive. However, the only power we have over this…
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Look Up while on Lockdown

Look Up while on Lockdown
With the majority of us sheltering in place and social distancing to help us all combat Covid-19, we are essentially on lockdown. Families and friends are adapting to a new way to virtually gather for a meal or celebrate by creating a drive-by party. The traditional way to instruct in-person is forced to pause. Now,…
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Hello from Fort Lauderdale

Hello from Fort Lauderdale
A month ago, I was returning from a work trip to Cuba. This was my third trip in the last six weeks. To say that the beginning of 2020 was a whirlwind for me professionally is an understatement. However, I never could have expected to see the world unfold as it has over the last…
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Pivotal Times Reminding Us to Look Up

Pivotal Times Reminding Us to Look Up
In times when people are losing work, closing businesses, and fearful about other changes concerning the Coronavirus, it is important that we protect ourselves, families, and communities by staying at home and washing our hands. However, we must also shift our perspective to the upside of this situation. These challenging times will leave us all…
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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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