August 1st I’m transported back into time, I’m alive during the Civil War (Ken Burns documentary on netflix). Abe was inaugurated on March 4th, 1861. The war breaks out April 12th. The war ended on April 9th, 1865. He was killed on April 15th, 1865, Good Friday. This man and his presidency was the nexus…
July 16th – New York City Taking the bus into the city. Continuing to listen to the book, “The Truth,” on relationships. Love the realization by author, Neil Strauss: “I used to think that intelligence came from books and knowledge and rational thought. But that’s not intelligence. It’s just information and interpretation. Real intelligence is…
You might think travel is exhilarating and exciting. You might think it’s all fun and games. And it is…Until the uber stops. She gets out of the car, I stay inside and look out the window. She’s on the side of the street standing there, looking at me. The girl I’ve shared everything with for…
July 1 – Paris Basketball with French guys in Luxembourg Park. First game I’m playing with three young kids, 16-17 years-old. I lose. The next game I play with guys my age. One tall French guy roughs me up a bit. I rough him up back. Boxing out, elbows, hip checks, position, energy exerted. It…
I walk into Shakespeare and Company, the famous bookstore Sylvia Beach opened in 1919 in Paris. Upstairs in the reading room, you can feel it’s age. The old tiled floor, the old, wooden support beams. Old books sit on old, faded wood shelves. Pictures of great writers hang on the walls. Through the window, Notre…
Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins. It’s an excellent book. If you are an artist or a writer, it’s an essential. Even if you are not an artist or writer, you can easily substitute artist with entrepreneur, manager or employee who wants to develop creativity within their company or through a side endeavor. Goins…
Just observe… Mumbai, India. Ten days. No talking. No eye contact. No cell phone, no computer. No books. No journals. No pen. No paper. Just silence and stillness and sitting meditation. Myself and my thoughts. Going deeper. Ten hours of meditation per day. It was one of the most challenging and painful, yet wonderful and…
Patience. It’s a requirement while traveling and living in India. I think that is why India is such a spiritual country. Without the spirituality in India, impatience would be the dominate emotion throughout the bigger cities. Case in point: I was taking a train from Varanasi to Rishikesh, a 20 hour train ride, yet my patience…
I’ve traveled for two years now. Half of that time I’ve been alone. I’ve traveled through South America, New York City, Indonesia, Vietnam, Italy and India. I’ve realized a couple things that I think might help you. Focus on what you love to do, even if you are alone, in a new city or new…
South India – Three Hour Bus From Pondicherry to Tiruvannamalai Before getting on the bus, I read Gandhi for 20 minutes at the bus station. My bench. My book. Late morning. The merciless India sun starting to whip me while I sat reading. A dirty man walked up to me and wanted my water. I…
Darkness. Pain. The only thing I see. The only thing I feel in my legs. My phone is dead. It’s pitch black. I’m in the belly of the beast, the dark forest of the East Indian countryside. I’m 14 miles away from my hotel. No taxi’s to get home, no one to call. Bodh Gaya. …