Hard to imagine doing anything these days without feeling some guilt. An overwhelming number of articles, television shows, religious authorities, relatives and so on, telling us what’s good for us; who knows what’s best anymore. Truth be known, most of us know what’s good for us. We don’t need a know-it-all “expert” to… Continue reading Finding the Right Balance/When Loneliness Strikes/An Act of Kindness
Tag: wisdom
Dreaming Sweet Dreams
I am a dreamer. I don’t mean: that I dream about being rich, that I dream about being a movie star, that I dream about having my own island, or that I dream about world peace; although it would be nice to have. What I mean is that lately, I dream colorful, wild, and memorable… Continue reading Dreaming Sweet Dreams
The Air Travel Battle Within
I have been struggling with something for years and I’m afraid a recent situation has caused my concern to come to a head. My issue is air travel. No doubt many share my uneasiness and much has been written on the topic. Here’s my take: Air travel sucks big time! Unless of course you… Continue reading The Air Travel Battle Within
Exploring Edinburgh and Other Random Bits
One of the many reasons I moved to Portugal was to be closer to the rest of Europe so that I could travel more easily from country to country; and that includes countries on the African continent. I will get to Edinburgh in this piece, I promise. My first country outside of Portugal to visit… Continue reading Exploring Edinburgh and Other Random Bits
Strange Not to be Chasing the Next Opening
The culinary scene in the United States has been pretentious and ever-changing for many years; however, the last 20 years has been explosive; not only in the States, but all over the world. While working at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, I felt obligated to stay on top of the restaurant industry;… Continue reading Strange Not to be Chasing the Next Opening
When in Portugal . . .
How a Change in Routine, Can Lead to Greater Self-awareness Yesterday I misplaced my wallet and today I spilled a cup of coffee; careless and frustrating. These are the things that happen when your daily routine changes and you’re not paying attention. There is danger in trying to recreate your old life in a new… Continue reading When in Portugal . . .
Giving Up My Car
My love affair with the bicycle goes back to my paper boy days in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. I was ten years old and I went to my dad and asked him for a bicycle. My dad had nine children and he was a blue-collar worker, so asking for anything made me feel guilty and ungrateful. This… Continue reading Giving Up My Car
Living Abroad and My Truth
Counting My Blessings I cannot imagine what it must have been like to live overseas 20 or more years ago. Staying in touch with loved ones back home must have been very expensive and difficult. Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and other forms of social media have made communicating and keeping up with friends fairly easy. Meeting friends… Continue reading Living Abroad and My Truth
Far Away From American Politics
I thought I would leave the U.S. and stick my head in the sand — well that’s not happening. BBC World news is a great source of global news for this expat. On one hand what is happening back home is extremely important to me, on the other hand I don’t appreciate news outlets like… Continue reading Far Away From American Politics
This Will Take Some Time and Patience
Whoever said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” did not live in Portugal. I knew some things would be different and in fact, I looked forward to change. In truth, I haven’t even been here three weeks and I hesitate to start complaining, but heck, it’s my nature to piss and moan so why wait.… Continue reading This Will Take Some Time and Patience
Papagni Pages 