Tis the season as they say and it certainly has been, but we will save that for a future blog as we get into December. The Thanksgiving holiday, here in America, is upon us and it has a whole different vibe than last year during the depths of the pandemic. Like most people, we reflect on this time past, the present and what the future holds and for me, I have much to for which to be thankful.
I am still here and at times, I was not sure I would be. I have weathered the storm and not just survived, and, yes, I am a survivor, and many people are in their own way. I thrived, deciding that doing something to help my own cause, taking action, is better than wallowing in self pity or making excuses. I made sure that the time was well spent and wanted no regrets. I was not going to dwell on the negative. It is not energy worth spending, so I stayed positive throughout. I owe so much gratitude to many people throughout this journey.

You know how sometimes you forget to do something!!! Well, it happened here. I forgot to write my post and so you are seeing it now. I guess jet lag really got the best of me this past week or a better excuse, I was still enjoying the glow of my time in Italy and then trying to jump back in the fray.
It has been a crazy week in return and getting back into the routine, although nothing in my life is routine, required an extra effort between the jetlag, working my part time gig and jumping right back into trip planning which has been wonderful, but with any trip, it takes time to gear up again afterwards, and with this one especially. I guess, because leaving this time was much harder, knowing, it would be some time apart again, but knowing we were together, even from a distance, gave me a very warm feeling.
It helped that business was again moving forward and I was much busier. It is a wonderful feeling to know that the world is learning to deal with Covid and figuring out ways and so I truly believe I have weathered the storm. As with anything, including a return from travel, all systems have to be running and that takes time, so after this week back, it has really been one of burning the candle at both ends. I much prefer this to not having any sparks at all, so this is not complaining, just my reality and maybe a way to fill a page that is more chaotic, since that is what last week was, chaotic, getting back into that routine.
If I had come back stateside to little or no business, my current counter balance of no part time job to get me away from my computer and being exhausted from my trip, my outlook would certainly be different. We are not out of the woods yet, but the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter and both professionally and personally. As always, with not a straight line to my goals, I am staying the course, but of course, mine is never a straight line and I am happy, positive and continue to push forward, and although this crazy little post is late, it is here.
Until next week, your thoughts, comments, questions, concerns are always appreciated, so thank you for your support of this small business and I expect a bit more cohesiveness next week, maybe!!!

Wow, the 40th edition of Weathering the Storm and it is all about Rosa and I!!! This all started when Covid started and now spending this past week with her has solidified my love for her. We got to know each other apart for 16 months and stayed connected via WhatsApp and learned many things about each other. When I first returned to Europe back in June, a first time across the pond since Covid, the 10 days we spent together was a reunion, a meeting, she likes to say and it was definitely more than business and definitely more than a feeling. She said she did not want to dream, but I knew I would be there. After that experience, I told her I would return before the end of the year and when I decided to go to London for a conference, getting to Rome, was a no brainer.
While she was awaiting my arrival at the airport in June, Italian flag and welcome sign in hand to pick me up, this time, knowing the terrain well after those 10 days, and as she was  guiding the day of my arrival, I made my way to my hotel, the same as last time, Hotel Villa Rosa, I checked in, showered, changed and hit the road to see her and after a few bumps in the road, we met up near the Colosseum and spent the rest of the day together. Our meeting or our reunion or whatever we now call it solidified, if ever there was a doubt, and really, there never was that she was the one. We even spent the evening at a combination Halloween/ Birthday party with her friends and it was a lot of fun, for sure. I knew she had to work the next few days and so we found the time to spend together including an evening at the Hard Rock Café in Rome, where last time, we celebrated her birthday. This time, and even with the pouring rain afterwards, we enjoyed our time. I spent time that day exploring some of the crypts and lots of wall art and got lost a few times, but that is part of travel and some of the best things happen that are not planned.
The highlight for us was traveling together away from Rome for 2 nights and 3 days down to the Amalfi Coast and staying in Sorrento, away from the craziness that is Rome. She and I were together, enjoying the moments that make our relationship special. We tried different restaurants, walked many steps, experienced Herculaneum, Positano and amongst the rainfall, the bus and train rides and laughter and smiles we shared. These few days were magical and we did our first Facebook Live together and in the future, I hope many more and even though we did not get to some of the places we had planned, it did not matter. Other experiences replaced them. She is a natural in front of the camera and I so enjoyed this experience with her.
We were together and we were one. Another chapter in our story, a love story that, while once again, brings physical distance between us, brought us even closer together than we have ever been in these nearly 21 months. She said we need to live in the moment and I do understand, but it does not change the melancholy I feel as we are once again apart from each other. When I wrote the poem in March of 2020, and the lines that became the chorus of the song I wrote for her, yes, Rosa of Roma, saying distance won’t keep us apart, as what we have comes straight from heart, is more powerful than ever. She and I will be together again, this I know, no, we both know this and hopefully, with less time in between when we are together again. Rosa, you have added years to my life in all you have been to me. I am happier than I have ever been in my life. I am excited to walk many more steps with you through this journey called life wherever they may lead!!!

As always, I am interested in your thoughts, comments, questions and adding to the discourse is always appreciated be in on the site itself or on Facebook, Twitter or wherever you read this. Thank you for your support of this small business and it is truly appreciated!

I have been very lucky to have people around me, especially in the past several months who are understanding of my situation, of which I hold responsibility, but also of which, in certain cases, have no control. I also have tried to be very understanding of their situations that have impacted their lives and indirectly mine. All will be addressed in due course. The dealings with the bureaucracy, which we all must address at one time, or another continues to rear its ugly head and while perhaps, when I was in my 30’s and 40’s, would have become angry and quite frustrated, handle it better now as I creep up on 60. Time is too precious to expend angry energy on things you can’t control. ​

It has been an amazing week here in the Land of Fire and Ice and returning here after 2 years has brought my passion for this destination back into focus. I have met new people, both in business and personal encounters and re-connected in person with colleagues who I had not seen in these past few years, a direct result of the pandemic. Going through the immigration process along with the Covid protocol enlightened me and it seemed to work rather well, so if you are prepared for the process, having all your documentation, you should be fine. 
My time here a week ago, started with a re-connection with a very good friend, Sven, who resides here in Iceland, now for many years, but is originally from Germany, so it was nice to hang out and experience some of the island and just catching up for the day at which time, I was dropped off at the airport and met up with my group and off we were to the Snaefellsness Peninsula, a destination here in Iceland I had not been to in over 15 years, so in effect, it was a new experience, both in the places we explored, but the time of year, and for the record, the Snaefellsness, is where I saw my first puffins here in Iceland, in the wild, those many years ago. Other experiences, I had included hiking into a lava tube cave, which was certainly an experience and one I do recommend, but the landscape, and no I did not see the glacier, always covered by cloud cover, and the weather, did not deter from having a wonderful time. One of the other highlights was going out on the boat and having the Viking sushi experience. 

Wow, I can’t believe it has been 14 years since I started my business in this crazy industry called travel and tourism and I have no regrets. It has been an amazing ride and which continues as I start my 15th year in business tomorrow and my 25th year in this industry. I have weathered 9/11, the Great Recession and now the pandemic. I feel each time there has been a crisis, be it major or minor, I have become stronger, wiser, and more knowledgeable. Yet, every day is a new experience and a refresher course in what this industry is all about and the tasks I have in it. I take every one of these tasks seriously as my valued clients have placed their trust in me to arrange their travels and adventures to fit their needs, wants and desires. They are spending their hard-earned money and using their most valuable commodity, time, to have experiences and create memories that will last a lifetime. That is a big responsibility I have taken on and one I will continue to do. Being in this industry is not a job, but my passion. Yes, it is work and the best things in life require work to make them last, be it a profession or a relationship. Their trust in me is something I cherish, take very seriously, and do not want to lose. 

Lately, I have been writing about heavy hitter subjects like remembering 9/11 and the pandemic and of course, the impact on my business and my personal life. These are very important topics and certainly deserve the attention and as the pandemic is still going on and life is still not back to normal like it was BC, Before Covid, it will continue to be a part of my discourse throughout my blogs and hopefully, sooner, rather than later, we won’ be talking about it anymore, but like anything else, it is something of which, we will need to always to be reminded, as human beings have short memories. When things are good and right now, they still are not, we tend to forget and that is when things happen, but they seem to be getting better. One of my favorite teachers, no, my favorite teachers, used to say, “everything is a mixed blessing” and I truly believe it as this tragedy of Covid has had many negatives, but also many positives, about which I have spoken over the past 9 months or so.