Travel opens us up to new places and experiences, assuming our hearts and minds are open, too. But travel’s transformative potential is not without challenges, and our recent Alaska cruise is no exception.
Writer or Storyteller—What’s in a Name?
I’ve always called myself a writer though I prefer the term wordsmith—someone who relishes, rearranges, juggles, weaves, unpacks, spins, shapes, combines, crafts, concocts and choreographs words. No wonder I’m so tired.
Have We Got Reading Wrong?
In a world overflowing with book recommendations, reading lists, and how-to guides, it’s easy to get caught up in the… Read more Have We Got Reading Wrong?
No One Says G’day Anymore
When I moved to Australia in the ‘80s, the sound of g’day was music to my ears. In New York, where I grew up, you quickly learn to avoid eye contact with strangers. You walk with a purpose, gaze fixed in the distance. Otherwise, you’re likely to become entangled in an unwanted, potentially dangerous encounter. (Don’t get me started on the subway!) But in ‘80s Australia, people were greeting me in stereo. I was naïve enough to think they must have picked me for a foreigner and were going out of the way to be nice. I soon realised it wasn’t special treatment at all. Everyone said ‘g’day. Not anymore.
Wander and Wonder — A Journey Back to Nature
Our chronically hyper-paced world seems to be a never-ending endorphin chase whose finish line is physical, mental and existential fatigue. If we’re bold and brave enough to run our own race, a quiet truth—one that’s been there all along if we’d only look—can sustain us: nature, in its unadulterated splendour, offers a sanctuary.
What 2024 Taught Me
There have been plenty of writing goals and achievements over the past year, but although welcome, they’re not a priority and arguably not overly interesting. I suppose that’s another lesson. My self-identity has always been tied up with my work, and in recent years with my writing, but 2024 has taught me that balance and personal growth, at least its promise, is what motivates me.
Slow Down, You Move Too Fast
I’ve always been an overachiever. I’m not saying that in a bragging kind of way – overachieving is hardly a worthwhile goal. But it’s not a type of pathology either, as some would have us think.
Who Am I?
All my life, I’ve been trying to work out who I am. Perhaps not surprisingly, I had my first existential crisis at age eight (or thereabouts) at my grandmother’s house in Boston. I don’t remember what precipitated it – a dream, perhaps – but I do recall bolting upright in bed, wondering why I was put on this earth, what the hell I was going to do with my life and how I would know which path was the right one.
Finding the Sweet Spot
I’ve finally found the sweet spot in tennis and in life. That magical space where shape, force, intent and purpose come together to do the job. The place where you’ve been striving for control but understand that you can get even greater satisfaction by doing less, when you stop trying to do things right in favour of doing the right things.
Feeling Thankful … and Relieved
History, in the retelling, tends to lose important details and context, substituting a few dramatic embellishments along the way. Take the first Thanksgiving story, for instance. Enshrined in school texts, the tale has been idealised to the point of disbelief. Even as an adolescent, I recall thinking, ‘This just doesn’t stack’. (Don’t get me started on the Bible). But no one wanted to hear my cynical take on the holidays, let alone on life. That’s what writing’s for 😉