Four years ago: An alarm on my phone would sound at 9pm reminding me it was time to get ready for bed. Today: I rarely go to sleep before midnight. Four years ago: My vacation dates were pretty much the same time as every other teacher and every family with school-age children in the US….
Tag: travel
Best Moments of 2023
As usual, they are in no particular order. . . As usual, I’m sure there are many more that I missed. If that was you, I’m sorry. Know that I love each and every one of you and any moment shared with you is a moment I treasure. Much love to you all, Rebecca
A First Time For Everything
“You are so lucky, kid,” I told my youngest sister Meg as we stood in St. Peter’s Square, the basilica looming over us. “You will never see it like this ever again.” It was January, 2022. By this point, we’d taken COVID tests in three different countries. In the coming days, we’d stand in an…
Lunches, Liquor and Other Rabbit Holes
“I just finished my small lunch,” Ricardo said. I knew what he meant. He had just finished his almeurzo. If you look up the English translation, it will say, “lunch.” But in Valencia, Spain (where Ricardo lives), it is definitely not lunch. Almuerzo consists of a small sandwich accompanied by a glass of wine or…
If They Build It. . .
I have recently acquired a fear of blind curves. More specifically: blind curves in Spain. In the US, such road hazards are preceded by one or more signs: an image of a curvy road, the words “blind curve ahead,” or an encouragement to beep one’s horn to alert oncoming traffic of your impending arrival. Unfortunately,…
Outrageous Goals
I don’t do it regularly. But every once in a while I make myself some (outrageous?) goals. I put a date on them. Put them out to the world. Take baby steps towards them. And then the world opens up, embraces my idea, gives me an avenue I’d never imagined, and hands me my wish…
Best Moments of 2015
I did this last year, and had such a good time doing it, I thought I’d do it again. So voila: the best moment of 2015 (in no particular order). With apologies for everything I forgot. It was an eventful year! The moment I booked my flight to Nicaragua. (That was a Monday. I left three…
My Third Thing
“A choice between two things is not a choice. It becomes a fight between right or wrong.” I read the sentence again. As the afternoon sun warmed the page, I pulled out my pen to underline it. I had never thought of it like that. No wonder I hate making decisions. “We need a third thing,…
Motherhood? No Thanks.
While wandering around a bookstore in LaGuardia airport, the cover of TIME magazine caught my eye. “CHILDFREE” stood out in bold, block letters. A couple in swimsuits laid on a white sand beach below the words, “The Childfree Life: When having it all means not having children.” I picked it up and flipped to the article,“When None is Enough.”…
All By Myself
“Did you go with anyone?” she asked. I was at a Camino talk hosted by our local chapter of American Pilgrims on the Camino. Future pilgrims come not just to hear the presentation, but to ask their questions to those of us that have been there. “No, I went alone,” I told her. “Really? You went to…
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