My depression doesn’t define me. My anxiety doesn’t define me. These things have shaped me. They’ve shaped my life. They shape who I am today and how I view life. But I refuse to let them define me. My dad died young, at age 57. Too young. And his life, especially his last 5-10 years, […]
There is this idea out there that if you end up back in your hometown, you’ve somehow failed to “get out.” Like staying – or coming back – means you gave up on something bigger. But for me, making my way back to Princeton wasn’t a step back. It was a very meaningful step forward. […]
I’ve started and stopped writing this post twice already. This will likely be the third time because I probably won’t have time to finish before I get back on my bike in 45 minutes or so. As I sit here in my cozy room, with a view out to a small piazza in the hilltown […]
My story of creating beauty through courage, hope and connection… has to start when I took my first trip to Honduras back in 1999 to help at a children’s orphanage that my brother-in-law introduced me to through his church. I was leery at first as I thought I was going to have to preach to […]
Chris asked me if I’d like to contribute a story to his bike traverse across Italy. I am honored to, as Chris has a heart of gold. We had many a fun bike ride adventure together in Germany. He also threw me the most unforgettable birthday party of my life. But that’s a whole other […]
Throw Some Confetti Our story begins in Florida where many believe is the ideal place to live with sunshine, palm trees, and mild winters which are highly desirable to our midwestern friends who are annual winter survivors. Florida was our “home” for about six years. We soaked in the sunshine, visited tourist and local sites […]
Happy to Share, To Learn, To Listen It is interesting to think about how we connect with people nowadays. We are all part of a generation and an era that have never been so connected through the digital world, technology and artificial intelligence but even more isolated. Lonely. Struggling to find hope in simple, truly […]
Chris asked me to provide a story for his site at least two months ago. In perfect Julie-fashion, I have procrastinated in writing until now. I shake my head at myself, as I always have such good intentions to do things more promptly. Having said that, I have been thinking about what to write, and […]
Bill had an extended affair during the pandemic that ended his 14 year marriage. He loved his wife, Angela, dearly and now listens to a particular song during his drive home from work to spend time with her. The singer seems to understand. The melody is melancholic and beautiful and from the first note immediately […]
Journey into the Unknown Our journey took us from Alaska to Ecuador and then to Spain, from where we cycled back home. Often, we faced routes whose conditions we could hardly assess. It was uncertain whether the path was feasible with our bicycles. We couldn’t always rely on navigation apps or locals to judge the […]
