Alilou
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Thanks @skatesindreams. It was definitely fascinating; like stepping into another world.Fascinating, as always, alliou!
Thanks @skatesindreams. It was definitely fascinating; like stepping into another world.Fascinating, as always, alliou!
Thanks @skatesindreams. It's a pleasure to share this wonderful place. I do wish we'd got there last year before my friend passed, but I won't waste energy on regret, and remind myself that things tend to unfold as they should.Fascinating and fabulous, as always.
Thank you, for sharing a such special and wonderful tribute to your friend.
Thank you, such a great read.I've just published a new blog post - about landing back in Vancouver and a surprise new place to live.
The End of an Era
Oh thank you @dinakt. I love the way you put it. I am resting and nesting and slowly getting strong. It is a new kind of adventure. And I know I have so much to write about anyway whether adventuring abroad or not. New Zealand is amazing! One of the most fabulous places we visited. Enjoy the posts!Thank you, such a great read.
I think you can be both courageous and inspiring to people, and be a great success for what you accomplished without perceiving yourself as such. So let us be the ones to admire and be inspired, while you live the way you want to, whether traveling or nesting Hope life is treating you well, and look forward to reading through your past travels as you rest up for the new ones.
(I just greedily favorited your New Zealand posts for future perusing... your photos. Swoon.)
Life surprised us, but yes, we are doing what we're meant to be doing a the moment. We both love the idea of travelling while having a home to return to. And I have no doubt there'll be more adventures. And a book - when the time is right.You are doing what you are meant to do, at the moment.
Having a "home"; with a sense of "permanence" and "belonging" is healthy.
What you didn't have, as a "Nomad", was a place to which you could "return".
I suspect that most people need that; some, more than others.
I await your future discoveries, adventures, and travels.
I do believe there is a book in your future, as well.
I agree with Skatesindreams that most people need a home. Knowing there is a home to return to while traveling gives a sense of security.
@alilou, I just want to thank you for sharing so much with us throughout these past few years. I've always looked forward to reading your blog. It's been enlightening, adventurous with so many beautiful photos of all the countries and cities you've been to. I've enjoyed it thoroughly simply because I know without a doubt that I won't actually get to visit those places, but through you, I feel like in a way that I have been to those beautiful places. Much gratitude and appreciation from this fellow FSUer and friend. <3
You're welcome @skatesindreams. It was actually a difficult post to put together - so many photographs, so much "inside" information from our Cuban friend, so many feelings about the place. Trying to distil it all into coherent posts was challenging. There will be two more about Havana, and probably 3 or 4 more about the other places we visited. Cuba was something very special for us. Not always easy, but definitely unique and fascinating.Thank you, for bringing Havana so vividly to life!
I'll look forward to more.
Thank you, @alilou. I've actually learned so much about the countries and cities you've visited ... some things I ordinarily wouldn't know just by reading about the places in a Geography book, etc. Thank you for sharing about Pedro's life in Cuba. It's interesting to know that he's the only one left out of the 42 members of his graduating class. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos, too! I've always believed that it keeps our minds active and alert to learn something new each and every day!
Pedro surely is a master at making use of those "Life Hacks"; although one wishes they weren't needed!
Perhaps, we can hope for a future where the infrastructure will improve; and there will be more openness and freedom.
I look forward to learning more about him.I'm so glad we met Pedro. He was really helpful in finding accommodation for us, and of course was a mine of information. We had dinner one night with him and his wife which I'll write about later
For the first time in 5.5 years we have a car, and furniture, and our own home.
It’s been a curious adjustment for me, perhaps a little bewildering. It’s not what I would have chosen, but given my issues with mobility there was no choice, and a sweet place at an even sweeter price became available for us. What a blessing!
It continually amazes me the way we create our reality without even being aware of it. During all the years of travelling whenever I thought of settling again in Vancouver I assumed, given soaring rents and our limited budget, that it would have to be a small place on the far eastern side of the city. And that’s exactly what became available – never mind that we would have been eligible for an apartment with the same organization in a much more central location with a water view. I never caught the thought that locked us into where we are, and so never opened up my vision to different possibilities.
Thanks so much @alilou. You're definitely right about an adventurous life. Most everything on my bucket list has been fulfilled including a few surprises along the way. I can't be as adventurous now with my disability, but that hasn't stopped me completely. My life has become a little more interesting with each year that passes and I'll soon be celebrating another birthday. That to me alone makes me smile proving my doctors wrong. My life didn't stop in April of 2011, and I celebrated another birthday on 09/10/11. You know, that month, day and year will never happen again and I lived to celebrate that special day. Wow! I'll be 59 in September ... one year away from the 60's, and I'm going to love it!! You know, I cherish each and every moment that I've been blessed with for the past 6 years, and I'd also like to share a poem I wrote in January of 1982. Time certainly does fly by, and that will always be part of life until it ends.Thanks @skatesindreams. I am starting to feel settled. It's a sweet place we found. We feel very lucky and blessed. I love thrift store shopping!
@Simone411 so sorry about your mom, it must have been a very difficult time for you. How wonderful that you had that road trip to help you through your grief. It sounds like an amazing trip.
How beautiful it was of you to share all the cards from FSU with all the others in NurseCare. What a thoughtful sweet gesture! And then it must have been beyond wonderful to have finally been able to come home to your own home. Even though you've not been away from home much, I get the feeling you've still had a pretty adventurous life one way and another
I have a new blog post ready. This one is about our new home in Vancouver, and about adjusting to having a home again after 5.5 years of being nomadic. It's been three months and it still feels weird.
Homing In On Home
You know, I cherish each and every moment that I've been blessed with for the past 6 years, and I'd also like to share a poem I wrote in January of 1982. Time certainly does fly by, and that will always be part of life until it ends.
Fantasize
If we could capture
The seconds of time
Not allowing them to escape ...
And soar
Through the air
Like leaves
Fluttering in the breeze,
Blowing in the wind ...
Then, perhaps,
For the first time
One could see time
And appreciate
Its real beauty.
Thanks for sharing about your brother passing away, and thanks for sharing what Steve Jobs said. I don't know if I'll complete that bucket list. I'm pretty satisfied, however, with what I have accomplished and that's all that matters. <3What a lovely poem!
My brother passed away unexpectedly last May. Really hammered home a quote from Steve Jobs that I once came across: "If you live each day as it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right. Every morning I looked in the mirror and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I do today? And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." Never take life for granted, make the most of each day, and as you say: "cherish each and every moment". It certainly sounds like you have done just that with your adventurous life and I hope you get to complete your bucket list.