Out of This World

  Any world tour worthy of wordiness needs to begin with connections to the Cubs and the World Series. In seat 2A sat a bearded gentleman sporting a ball cap and sunglasses, a map of Texas tattooed on the back of his right hand. I settled into 2B, exchanged greetings and leaned back in my oversized lounge hoping to nap. Just about to nod off, the stewardess leaned in asking “You ordered French toast? What do you want to drink?” I don’t know why airline chefs are obsessed with offering adulterated dishes to brutalize your taste buds. I got date nut bread French toast with a side of steamed prunes and apricots. After this underwhelming breakfast I reclined my seat to snooze. Before landing, I struck up a conversation with my neighbor which led to: “I used to pitch for the Cubs.” “No way!   What’s your name?”   “Mitch Williams” “I remember a game in the ninth inning with the Cubs where you walked the first three batters and then struck out the next three.” “I’m...

  I am wandering into an unknown future to find my familiar past and rejuvenate my present.   Time for a shakeout. Travel is a grind, even in grand style. Curiosity is my motivation; belief in myself to adapt well and therefore thrive in a daily sea of change is the reward.   If I were a fish, a long flight is like getting yanked out of the water, put in a small bucket and dropped off at another lake. Nothing is familiar; everything needs relearning. This is what I need:  a  new life with a clean slate.   I lost my best friend to cancer in April. I am fortunate to have many exceptional friends around the planet and to be greeted warmly in faraway places.  The familiar past of renewed friendships helps to see who I am and stokes my desire for more adventures with new friends.   Not to reinvent myself, but rather to validate the importance of sharing joys with others. Travel is the catalyst which strengthens the brain, pleases the body, en...

  My official world tour begins in Chicago, my birthplace 69 years ago. Georgetown, Texas is my dress rehearsal.   Records say I moved from California, all my stuff is here and I’m paying monthly for this air-conditioned refuge, but I see this place as an OK pit stop. Not so much an arm pit, rather a cherry pit taking sweet yet cautious nibbles.   Georgetown is pleasant half the time, 8:30 pm to 8:30 am.   I bike at sunrise then swim at sunset and sit out back in the dark; those times it’s very comfortable. Anything during the other half of the day is a dreaded chore. Unless you do drive-thru, running errands runs you down with the egress and ingress of car to store and back. Even golf with a cart can be unbearable lest for the shady spots (deer and wild turkeys reserve many of them) and the ice boxes at several holes to scoop soothing frozen crystals into your cart beverage cooler or hat.   People are friendly here and the facilities at Sun City are...