Old World Déjà vu

It was a strange day I remember, exploring Budapest for the first time with a sensation I had walked these streets before, every corner a story to be told.  Each step filled with fascination, time of no concern as evening tumbled from dusk into the magical darkness of night.  Pulled forward by destiny into my past. She was there, a flash of a smile…

Angels in Nepal: One Year After the Earthquakes

Peering out the makeshift door of her corrugated metal shelter, Parathi lets the warm, soft rays of the sun tangle up around her welcoming in another day. A gentle breeze rocks the entranceway of their shelter providing a soft melody for her two autistic children sleeping peacefully behind her. The few minutes of silence brings a smile along with a chance to relax before…

The Life of Dachau ~ On Quality and Giving Up

Those three words, seared into the mind, bring a pain I cannot define. I want to reach out and feel the cold iron letters, erasing their significance ~ “Arbeit Macht Frei” The naïveté when I first read this motto ~ “Work sets you free” still burns.  I stepped through the gate into my new home at Dachau, holding fast to this false promise of…

The Abyss and a New Year Renaissance

The long and winding road of this past year has finally reached its end. I feel broken. Exhausted. Started the year as a kid, climbing mountains ready to attack the world, and now I’m an old goat with barely the energy to take another step. Standing here on the precipice of the Lunar New Year, staring across the dark chasm leading into the Year of…

Slowing Down the Perception of Time

I’ve made a mistake. I look behind me but there is no turning back, I’ve past the point of no return. The chill of frost has seeped further into my bones; the other side of the frozen lake appears just as far away as it did an hour ago. Or was it only a few minutes ago? With snow blowing around I bow my…

Let’er Buck: The Life of a Cowboy

Lack of sleep makes concentration difficult. I’m on my third cup of coffee and I can’t help but stare out the window trying to recapture last night’s fading dream of a life of a cowboy. “找不到你公司税务登记证 ! 在哪里?” The sound of these foreign words spin me back to reality here in China. “如果找不到太麻烦!”  My secretary again looks at me for a response. I shut my…

The Wolf You Feed ~ A Native American Story

Crawling out of the teepee at first light, my spirit is buoyed with excitement of the salmon run on the Big River (the Columbia). The echoing roar of Celilo Falls in the background is a symphony, welcoming back the tribes once again. Rubbing my eyes and taking a cool breath of morning air, there is a light laugh beside me followed by several pieces…

Arches ~ Temptation of the Exotic

She sits there quietly with the glow of the morning sun reflecting everything a beautiful day should contain. I pace around in search for the perfect angle to enjoy her, and as I look on with eyes filled with desire I set my camera and capture my first sunrise at Arches. A thought enters my mind…have I just fallen in love? Stretching out, I…

Perspectives of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka.  No doubt a beautiful country.  The lowlands are surrounded by the blue waters of the Indian Ocean rhythmically rolling onto white sandy beaches of the island. The central highlands, a jungle of green where a cool temperate climate offers a perfect environment for Sri Lanka’s billion-dollar-a-year tea industry. Lush tea plantations scattered throughout the picturesque scenery. Nestled within the highlands is the city…

The Original Mind of Imagination

Walt Disney once said, “Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination.” No truer words spoken. A perfect state-of-mind to enter life: full of curiosity and void of bias or preconceived notions of race, politics and status. Ahead, only the beauty of life waiting to be discovered. Bliss. Then the battle begins. The real world slowly creeps in and starts to chip away at…