Short story on western Pennsylvania’s 70 mile Laurel Highlands Trail about an unexpected route to happiness and contentment…
All tagged zen
Guide to Minimalism: How to Downsize From a House to a Backpack
Are you considering a move to minimalism? Understand that you are not just disposing of random objects. You are, in fact, eliminating tangible indicators of the person who you wanted others to believe you are (read that twice). What will you do with a blank slate?
Hiking Is Zen
Hiking is simple, structured, quiet. I step into nature to calm the mind, soothe the soul, and find a little zen. This post is dedicated to anyone who thinks that hiking is just a hot, tiresome walk without a point. For me, hiking is a walking meditation that calms the monkey-mind and draws me into the present moment.
Long Read: The Root of America's Healthcare Problem Is Cartel Pricing by Monopolies
Our current health care system is not working for Americans. Pricing is irrational and quality is poor. That’s because healthcare in America has been hijacked by conglomerate monopolies that control pricing like cartels. In this post, I discuss the reasons our health care costs so much.
How Much Does It Cost to Travel the World?
We traveled for 355 days in 9 countries. After 50 weeks on the road, we tallied our numbers and share our expense breakdown with you, along with commentary and lessons learned. We hope our data helps you with your Round the World trip planning. Dream big!
I Broke My Ankle in Argentina and Paid $0 for Treatment
I broke my ankle in Argentina and paid $0 for emergency care, x-rays, doctor analysis, and pain medication…
Explaining the Relationship Between Long Term Travel and Vegetarianism
In preparation for our trip around the world, I read many travel blogs. I was struck by how many long-term travelers were vegetarian. I wondered, do vegetarians travel more? Or was there something about global travel that made people become vegetarian?
A Bit of Personal Reflection
I do not deal well with crowds and it is always a challenge for me to find a place of mental calm when faced with a mass of people and perceived pandemonium...
Gratitude for "No Time"
These days, I rarely acknowledge time and am grateful for its absence.
Attitude Is Everything
I offer two versions of our first traveling day to share the lesson I learned about attitude. We will encounter many unexpected hurdles this year. I am choosing RIGHT NOW to approach each challenge with a positive outlook.
The Noise of Clutter and Choice
It's getting quieter in this apartment, as we approach our move-out date. With less stuff, there is less choice. With less choice, there is less noise in my head.
Destination Everywhere
We are now "vagabonding", I believe is the term. It's a big change for us, with lots of unknowns. I don't know the arc of this story, yet, and I do not know how our characters will struggle, adapt, change. But I do know one thing: this chapter will be different from the previous 20 years...
Travel is ZEN
When I travel, I attain a sudden wellspring of patience and tolerance and humility that escapes me on the gerbil wheel of the daily grind. This short story explains the title of Travel Is Zen.
Travel is ZEN.
"The River Bears Witness"
My attempt at creative fictional writing, inspired by my hometown of Franklin, Pennsylvania.