If your partner has scored a job at an international school, it can be incredibly exciting! A new country, and a fresh start! And if you’ve got kids, it’s an amazing opportunity to show your kids the world. 

But when you’re the one without the job offer, it can make it a little more challenging.

As the calendar page flips and we move closer to graduation dates and summer’s arrival, students everywhere are abuzz with a palpable frenetic energy. Whether excited to fling themselves out the doors of an educational space, nervous for what lies ahead, or a bit numbed by it all, we’re often met with big feelings as we leap from one comfort zone into a grand unknown. 

Ever wanted to sail away on your very own odyssey? Me, too (minus the trouble he went through to get home).

If you love days filled with relaxing, water activities, and learning about the ancient history of a place, I’ve got the perfect travel plan for you. 

This journey focuses on some truly unique educational and historic places along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast just south of Fethiye, while allowing plenty of time and space to just be.

In the midst of shifting times, it is often a challenge to think about the future. It can also be challenging to consider what resources from the past can be helpful in the present and in seeing ways forward.

Creativity shared in music can offer ideas.

“The present moment is the only moment available to us, it is the door to all moments.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

It’s officially spring. The birds wake each day chirping loudly. The sky dips between glorious sunshine and sprinkles of rain, the temperature shifts on a whim. The ebb and flow of winter’s chill transitions to summer sunshine - we’re full on in the mix of it all: the present, the here and now. This elusive space, the one so many of us would like to be able to stay in, often evades us. 

Stepping off the incredibly hot and humid bus, I was greeted by a beautiful golden fence and vibrant red tile. The top of it read: Choeung Ek Genocidal Center. 

The entrance hall alone makes the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City a worthwhile visit.

With its soaring ceilings and marble floors, Kirkwood Hall is a work of architectural grandeur. Stately Corinthian columns topped with gilded acanthus crowns line the room. Tapestries depicting scenes from Greek mythology by Flemish artist Jan Leyniers adorn the limestone walls. 

Through these shifting times, it remains good to consider and seek out qualities that support and nurture connection.

What might those qualities be? You will find your own, of course, and create your own order of importance among them.

Generosity is one that comes to mind; so does courage.

In some ways, they are part of the same story: it takes courage to offer help. Standing up for something, or reaching out to help, involves the gift of courage.

Music can help with thinking about these ideas.

“We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.” - Maya Angelou