foreign travel

From Darkness to Light: my brush with grace

In an act of full disclosure I will share with you that the years 2013 - 2015 were incredibly challenging for me. I was tested in ways I had never before been tested. I was pushed and forced to do what I did not think I was capable of doing.

At one point I remember feeling intensely sad and at an absolute loss. For all of my life up until this time I'd had the gift of resiliency. I'd get knocked down. Then, I would shake it off. Recalibrate. Re-center. I would gather myself up and keep moving.

Not this time. I distinctly recall mourning my former self. I was sad. Angry. Depressed. Regretful. Ruthless with myself and internally towards those I perceived had knowingly cut me to the bone. I felt like my soul had literally been sucked out of my body for good. What did I have to live for? The person I used to be vanished. Escaped.

I can't point to any one specific day that eventually led to my turn-around. Although, there were several events woven together that became my life line.

A Story of Accidental Friendships

Recently, I have been contemplating the fascinating and multi-layered dialogue around friendship. Mostly stimulated by the great memories I've recently experienced after re-uniting with friends I had made 22 years ago.  They are all European.  I was the only American in the group.  We all worked together in Reception at the Hotel Cheyenne at Disneyland Paris in 1995.