2020

It’s Not Fruitless

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“Three Pomegranates in Bowl,” Nasser Ovissi

Some people say it’s too late, that people are breaking the rules, that the whole thing is just political. But I believe the experts, having been one myself who was not believed 😁. So, for example, I won’t touch anyone.

I also believe the United States of America is on a serious time-out.  “You just sit there for awhile and think about whether you want to leave your kids this mess you’ve made. Do you think all they care about is buying stuff when the whole world is turning into a giant cesspool? Well? Do you?”

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Blue

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Door in Tunis, Tunisia

I am sensing that there is a sort of low grade malaise happening out there right now, even in spite of our best efforts. It’s ok. People have been doing the blues for a long time. The blues have made people famous and happy and powerful. Here are some of them.

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Rowing the Boat Ashore, For Now

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After five years of travel, I am not on an extended vacation. The road is my home. It is like religion to me because it helps me fill in some of the gaping holes in what I know and believe. It feeds my spirit and challenges me. But now, I realize I may not be able to travel for what could feel like a long time. Although I don’t know how, my life is going to change.

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The Angels in Mexico

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Yesterday was a normal day here in San Miguel de Allende, although more obviously normal than usual, in a good way. I am used to aspects of this culture related to patience and kindness and honesty.  Cars stop for you to cross no matter how safely they could go first. People on the street make a point of quietly greeting you or smiling. It is more likely that a vendor will chase you down the street to give you the six pesos you left behind than to overcharge you.

But yesterday was an unusual bunch of goodness.

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16 Metric Tonnes and What Do You Get?

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My first flight from Athens to Lesvos. The beginning of something life-changing.

I get a thrill every time I feel the three-second gravitational pull of a plane taking off. In 2019, I felt it 17 times on flights between the US, Mexico and Asia, and I plan to feel it another dozen times in 2020.

Some people, like Greta Thunberg, might wonder how I can justify traveling all over the world in an airplane. My upcoming flight from San Francisco to Barcelona will cost the environment 1.6 metric tonnes of carbon emissions. That’s just my share. To put that in perspective, hyper-consuming Americans use about 16 metric tonnes a year for everything.

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