A book and a bouquet
- At January 17, 2018
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
0
While we travel to arrive at a destination, it has always been the journey which spoke to my heart. A long car drive home at night, quiet and uninterrupted, or the excitement that comes with lift-off. There is the ambiance that accompanies the sound of a train along the tracks, and the companionship of a book and a bouquet illuminated by the compartment overhead light. These comings and goings are the expectant beginnings and reflective ends of an adventure. The act of travel.
Years ago, I took the train to New York City quite frequently. During one such trip I decided to indulge myself for the ride home and purchased something noteworthy and something beautiful. A treasured book and a bouquet. When I arrived home, they sat together on my desk as a reminder of that most recent trip. Later the book took up residence on a shelf, its pages stuffed with ticket stubs, receipts, and postcards. I loved this whole idea of a book and a bouquet so much that they became my ongoing companions on Amtrak.
Read More»Eight months repatriation in Boston
- At October 19, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
- 10
In February 2017, I was told that reverse culture shock might be an issue for someone like myself returning to the United States after five years abroad. When I was told this, I scoffed. I was simply too happy to have returned to a place where I once again … fit.
While I don’t dismiss the repatriation experience of others, for myself I have only had a few blips – like figuring out the ATM at the cash register, how doors open when entering a building, and the fact that the pedestrian street-walk buttons in Boston often don’t work. I have had no problems with reverse culture shock with the exception of perhaps navigating the work/life balance I learned in Sweden.
Read More»Being in our body
- At October 02, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings, Wellness
- 0
It was almost shocking – the feeling of submerging my body into that crystal blue pool on a brilliant September afternoon.
I can’t remember the last time I went swimming. It had become a long forgotten experience and the sensation of cool water completely suspending me was so foreign, so surprising, that it took my breathe away. It was a visceral awakening and I wanted more. I plunged beneath the surface.
Setting myself to dry in the sun, I thought about the last time I actually inhabited my body? Meditation and yoga will encourage these feelings of mindfulness, but what about all the other experiences we have – the daily experiences – that we miss because of our too busy schedules, our addictions on mobile devices, and fact that we are all too often lost in our own minds. Or perhaps it is that we simply are no longer aware of the pleasures our body can give to us.
Read More»Thoughts on rebuilding a life
- At September 16, 2017
- By Lisa
- In Experiences, Musings
- 8
A friend of mine recently wrote to me asking, “How does one go about starting a new life?” She explained that everything in her present situation was unacceptable and she desperately needed changes. She needed really big life changes.
Her reason for writing to me was because, knowing my past history, she considered me to be a bit of an expert on the subject. I’ve gone about and reinvented my own life twice in the last five years – the first time through choice, the second from trauma. Both events were life changing and challenging, the second much more than the first.
Having given my friend’s question a good deal of thought – for this is not a question to be taken lightly – I wrote to her providing the only answer I could, “It takes something extraordinary”.
Read More»
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