What defines the perfect guest? Benjamin Franklin said, “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” but even one day can be too long for certain invitees.

Perhaps we can find a means to review the basics with anyone who may need a gentle reminder:

Be sure your arrival is expected; keep the home neat and clean; chip in with any chores and expenses; be respectful of others; be positive company; remember to say thank you; if you use something return it to its place; do not snoop; offer a gift or some token of your appreciation; know when it’s time to leave.

Fortunately,  most of us only have positive things to say about those we welcome into our homes, but Mr. Franklin probably spoke from experience.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement

While leaving a shop the other day, I heard a disembodied voice saying “Your destination is on the left.” then watched a man make that turn to enter.

Many people are quite fond of their GPS’s but I had previously only heard one while riding in a car. Was it really so difficult to locate this store without the use of technology?

Sci-fi films have long shown robots playing a role in our world for better or for worse, but the robots are always machines.No matter how life-like they look on the outside, their interiors are gadgets and circuitry.

Is it possible that we all got it wrong, and the next generation of robots is us?

More and more of our decision making is being dictated by computers: how we get to our destinations, where we go to eat, what movies we see, what books and articles we read, what music we listen to, and how we are to think. Public opinion has long played a role in our lives but the smallest choices are now guided-programmed- by the social media, apps, and websites we are referring to with an unprecedented frequency.

My upbringing in this society has already molded, to a great extent, the choices I make and opinions I have, but I am not ready to give up what is left of my free will. I prefer to risk making some mistakes, taking a few wrong turns, and making some less than perfect decisions of my own.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement

Niagara Falls, New York has unparalleled potential. It possesses extraordinary and breathtaking natural wonders. But as I pass abandoned houses and closed shops I cannot understand why this town is not thriving.

Although I was urged, by everyone I spoke with, “to see the Falls from the Canadian side” and there is no contesting the view of the Horseshoe Falls from that vantage, the area is tacky. The American side, a State Park, lacks, pleasantly so, all the flash and neon.

With lovely three bedroom houses selling for, according to a resident, about $50,000 and renting for $600/month I see this as a perfect mecca for artists, musicians, actors, dancers, filmmakers and writers. I envision a different festival each month showcasing both national and international talent. I imagine an ice festival in the winter. There could be a storytelling festival where people would sip hot chocolate or the local wines while listening to yarns spun. The opportunities are endless.

I imagine a vibrant community inviting all to participate.

It is just a matter of time before this potential is realized, I just hope it happens soon.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.

Children are extraordinary. They can convert anything they have into a toy or game or use nothing at all to have fun.

In our travels we are bound to see different cultures and living conditions, perhaps interpreting them as deficient to our own. But before we start giving the children things to “enrich” their lives, it is probably best to think about the effects of such benevolent gestures.

My encounters with children have varied: I’ve kicked a ball around with a group of kids. I’ve attempted to speak a few words of their language while teaching them a few words of my own. I’ve watched them play. I have shared some of my food. I have seen their curiosity, their openness, their innocence.

I have also encountered children who tag along in pursuit of money or candy and nothing more. The only words they know and use beseech me to give. They have no interest in my culture, or me beyond what I possess. Their curiosity, their openness, their innocence has been replaced some time ago with the desire to acquire what they had not known they lacked.

I have encountered homeless children selling things out in the street or offering a service such as a shoeshine. What is best to do is not always obvious. I may buy something, discreetly, as to not encourage a drove of eager vendors or offer the children some food.

If we wish to give, then let us do so responsibly. Perhaps we can donate health or school supplies, assist with a lesson, offer a hand in someway, etc..

Let us try to know these people first. Let us try to have them know us. Perhaps it’s just an exchange of names, but we are now individuals with gifts of our own to share.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Welcome to the tales of a woman solo traveler and thoughts to make today the start of something new. I hope you find information and inspiration in the text and images and join me in my quest for growth, wonderment and self-improvement.

“I am not talking about living dangerously. Such words are meaningless to me…. It is not danger I love. I know what I love. It is life.” Antoine de Saint Exupery from Wind, Sand and Stars 

Saint Exupery,  best known for creating the beloved Le Petit Prince,  wrote these words sometime in 1935 when aviation was still in its infancy. He had taken on the task of flying mail between France and African French colonies for Aeropostale ( a precursor to Air France).

The risks he took were extraordinary, but he knew that and gladly piloted those flights.

His choices far exceed ones I am likely to make. Nonetheless I am watchful so that my fear of danger does not hinder me.

It is not danger I love. It is life.

There is this show you would love to see and no one you know wants to go. Or you have some free time and your friends are not available. Perhaps you are almost out the door when you start to think, “What will they be saying? I’ll be all by myself.”

We are often concerned with the opinions of others. But if you are occupied with how others are viewing you, then what is everyone else doing?

They are far more concerned about themselves. You’ll see.

So go.

With a little bit of practice, and it won’t take long,  your self-consciousness will dwindle, your self-confidence will grow and you will be out there in the moment.

Won’t that be nice?

 I recall a man lamenting his circumstance and said, “Well, it’s all in how you look at .” “Wouldn’t that be nice.” he replied.

“Yes. In fact it is.”

Many years ago I told a friend my trepidation of flying in the rain.

“But it’s my favorite time to fly!”

She enthusiastically explained how the sky was most dramatic and described in detail some of the wonders she had seen.

Flying in the rain was never the same.

Photos of a Lenin statue in Yekaterinburg, Russia

Days have a tendency to take on a routine.

Some of this may be beyond our control, but it doesn’t take much to see the day anew and to shake up our senses.

Doing something we have done a thousand times before can seem different with the proper perspective. Our environment is constantly changing and all we need to do is take notice.

Let us try not to judge too quickly what we like and what we dislike. We might shut out something that ultimately appeals to us.

Let’s be open to the unexpected and look at all things with the intent on actually seeing them.