Daily writing promptWhat’s a moment in your life that made you feel truly alive?View all responses It may be one of the scariest times on the trip, as the plane accelerates and speeds down the runway, but it is the moment I feel truly alive. I want to shout, "Here we go!" I realize I... Continue Reading →
Travel Alone or Miss My Dream Trip: What Do You Think?
Amarante, Portugal, May 2026 I had a strange conversation with a hairstylist in Macomb, Illinois, when I was an assistant professor at Western Illinois University. She was white, and I told her that I dreamed of traveling to Norway someday. She informed me that she wanted to visit Africa because her child was mixed-race. As... Continue Reading →
Dreaming of the Next Grand Adventure: D’Verse Poetics
John Atkinson Grimshaw, Whitby Harbour (1882) public domain Walking along the quay at night, I watch the ships go slowly past. I dream of being aboard one of them, Sailing away from this life, at last. The elegance of their movements Across oceans gleaming in the dark Calls to my wanderlust-filled heart, Daring me to... Continue Reading →
The Lessons Of Traveling
Seen at Angel Island in San Francisco Bay, California, Spetember 13, 2026 Traveling opens our hearts and allows us to see the humanity of those we would ordinarily think of as strangers, because we come to realize there is no "them" and "us," just all of us trying to survive in the land of the... Continue Reading →
Sometimes You Have to Move Past Your Fears to Your Destiny
What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done? View all responses My 50th birthday had passed, and I still could not drive a car. Twenty years earlier, a driving instructor told me I was meant to be a passenger. I was so fearful of driving after that conversation that I had to ask family and... Continue Reading →
Find Reasons to be Amazed: Sunday Devotional
The Ysaline Cargo Ship docked in Porto, Portugal. Proverbs 30: 18-19: There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don’t understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman. I have a fascination with... Continue Reading →
When We Travel, Often We Take Risks
Daily writing promptWhat’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?View all responses When we travel and are away from all the people who love to tell us that we are too old to do something, we take chances we would not otherwise attempt. My husband and I were in Viseu, Portugal.... Continue Reading →
To Take People Traveling Must Be One of the Best Jobs in the World
Daily writing promptIf the salary was the same, what job would you be doing right now and why?View all responses I am retired from teaching, but another job I would have loved doing was a tour guide. I traveled with the all-woman touring company Women Traveling Together. Our tour guide was a very sensible woman... Continue Reading →
Being Elderly Isn’t Just Pain and Forgetfulness!
Villa Nova, Portugal , May 2026 I would tell my 20-something self not to fear getting old. When we are young, we see being elderly as the antithesis of youth. We envision a time of pain, slowness, forgetfulness, isolation, and loneliness. But I have found it a time to reflect on what is possible and... Continue Reading →
A Month of Traveling Down, and Five Weeks to Go!
Praia de Pescadores, Albufeira, Portugal Albufeira was the second city on our search for a home in Portugal. It was a beautiful city, but hilly, as you can probably tell from the photograph. I got more cardio-vascular exercise there than I’d had in a while. From the beach to our rental was all up hill.... Continue Reading →
