The First Steps

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” (Lao Tzu)

Me at Dun Aengus on the Aran Islands years ago (1998)

...And so I begin.  I have always wanted to write a blog, if for no other reason than I just like to write.  Writing has always been the one "art" that I've had a passion for.  I can't draw; I sing like a braying mule (just ask my wife!); the only musical instrument I've ever mastered is my MP3 player (I know how to turn it on!), etc.  But I've always had a passion for crafting a thoughtful sentence, paragraph, or article.  Just as I see myself doing now, I spend time carefully choosing words, placing them, honing and shaping them - like a quiet farmer, rocking on a porch, whittling a piece of maple.  But the funny thing is, I've never devoted a lot of time to doing something I loved so much.

Why do we do that?  Spend most of our time, doing so many things other than what we are passionate about?  Finding excuses, reasons why we can't do what we want to?  Good questions!

Which leads me to another reason why I started this blog.  I want to use it to explore - to learn.  We learn through asking questions, and then being open to the answers Life offers.  We learn through being brave enough to try new things, and to share these with others.  We learn through admitting we don't know everything already...

I called this "Looking For Pearls" because I am interested to see what unexpected "lessons" I will learn from doing this.  What types of "gems", of insights, will I stumble across on this journey?   I'll write about whatever's on my mind.  I'm a teacher - lots to reflect on there!  I'm a lover of history, travel, good food, and a laugh.  I'm a incurable romantic, lucky to be married to a beautiful woman (and her impish chihuahua, Izzy!)

So, as I learned to say when I travelled in France,

Me at Mont St. Michel (2004)

"On y va!"... Off we go!