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Once a year, whether you need it or not

Apparently I have fallen back into my infrequent posting ways on this blog. It has been a little over a year since my last post. I have been writing quite a bit but it has been on my other blogs.

I was writing a travel column for Examiner.com, but in the middle of last year they closed their site. So I started by own travel narrative web site. The Path Less Chosen is about travel that's just a bit off the beaten path. I write about non-touristy spots, as well as how to make the most of the heavily trafficked tourist locations. My hope is for it to eventually be advertiser supported while giving me an outlet for my travel bug.

Today's Motivational Moment

Great Athlete? Not me.

I am not a great athlete. The highlight of my high school basketball career was coming off the bench for two minutes at the end of a blowout game during my JV season. I took a surfing lesson a few years ago. The total time I was able to stand up on the surfboard could be measured in milliseconds. I once crashed my bicycle and broke four ribs because the front tire slipped off the edge of the pavement. So no, I am not a great athlete.

However, I love to play sports. I have played basketball, volleyball, softball, and football. I have gone rock climbing, kayaking, back packing, and wind surfing. I have done things athletically that most people would never do. Riding 100 miles in a single day through Death Valley. Hiking along the Italian coast to five fishing villages. Playing basketball against the Detroit Lions. A quick aside: They make a better basketball team than football team.

The reason I bring this up is that I am working on a book. A travel narrative. I am considering using the different sports I've participated in as chapter headings. I have some fun ideas for how to make that work, but I'm in a quandary over whether I should. As I said earlier, I'm not a great athlete, so why would I have the gall to talk about travel for an athlete's perspective. I could also be seen as the everyman, creating great adventures without being naturally talented enough to do so.

Going all the way back to high school (where we wrote using stone tablets) the hardest part of writing for me has always been the initial idea. Once that has crystallized in my head the actual writing just flows. While I have a bunch of ideas for my book, the main theme has yet to emerge. That's why I'm toying with the sports motif. It gives me a structure that will drive the writing forward. Who knows, perhaps this post will morph into the introduction of the book.

Happy 10th Anniversary

Apparently I missed the 10th anniversary of this blog. I started it in March of 2005. You can click here to read that thought provoking first post. In 2011 I changed the name of the blog. I have no memory of what the original name was. In looking back over ten years of posts I noticed that I am very erratic in writing on this blog. It seems that I post frequently for a time and then go months, or even years, with nothing. I'm not sure what causes this odd behavior. I consider myself something of a writer. I know that writers need to write on a regular schedule in order to hone their craft. I feel like I do write quite a bit, just not here. I now feel like I'm babbling. Welcome to stream-of-consciousness writing.

National Chocolate Cake Day

Tomorrow promises to be a sweet day. I know of a little cake shop in Grand Rapids that will satisfy your chocolate cake craving. Stop by Connie's Cakes in the Eastown neighborhood.

Quote by Susanne Aldrich