29 Things to do Before 29
Some of these tiny goals may seem silly (don’t worry—I have some big, less measurable goals I’m working on). But year after year I enjoy reflecting on the prior year and the fun times...
Category: Experiences
28 Things to Do Before I’m 28
Despite my long-standing tradition of birthday goals, this year I hesitated to make a “28 Before 28” list. I’m in the process of trying to simplify my life. I’m slashing my ‘to-do’ lists and...
Reviewing my ’27 Before 27′ Birthday Goals
A wise woman told me the secret to feeling satisfaction in life is to take your ‘to-do’ list and cut it in half. I recognize this annual birthday goals tradition does not fit that...
Reflections on a New Job as a Global Curriculum Director
SIX YEARS AGO I spent the summer in a remote village in Ghana on my first major international trip. I worked in a local high school where I volunteered and researched attitudes towards reading and the...
Love Letter to Sweden
Dear Sweden, I’m sorry I never really noticed you in the corner of the world. It was always Austin who wanted to be with you. I’ve spent the better part of my life oblivious...
A Thai Lantern Funeral for my Grandma
EACH FALL THAILAND celebrates Yi Peng, the iconic floating lanterns festival held on the first full moon in the second month according to the Lanna lunar calendar. Last year I watched the sky light up with masses of Lanna-style khom...
A Tribute to Walden Pond
I crunch through leaves and smell wet bark at Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Yellow and crimson leaves line the path and cluster at the edges of the dark water. I drop pebbles into...
27 Things to Do Before I’m 27
IT’S GOING TO BE hard to top last year’s birthday goals. I’ve planned on traveling the world for some time, and I got to live that dream for most of my 26th year. But now...
Summary of My ’26 Before 26′ Birthday Goals Around the World
THIS HAS BEEN, without a doubt, the best year of my life. Before leaving on our trip around the world I made a list of goals (as I do each year) of 26 things...
Contents of the Single Backpack I Returned Home with After a Year of Travel
1 llama sweater from Peru 2 travel journals (completely filled) 1 XL sleeping sheet with new stains from the floor of the LaGuardia Airport 1 ribbed tank top from my wedding sporting Amazon River...
