Notable bits from the journey thus far

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I've been a part of a parade in communist Russia;

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Spent three nights and four days deep within a cave;

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Hand fed a black bear;

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Been a Canadian national rowing champion three years in a row;

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Tripped David Bowie;

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Had yellow fever;

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Moved 3250 miles to a city I’d never been to (Portland in 2000) with no job -
have now lived here 17 years longer than I’ve lived anywhere else;

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Completed the London marathon - albeit not quickly;

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Lost a sister to Reye’s syndrome;

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Guided Michael Eisner, Barry Diller; Diane Sawyer; Candice Bergen; Tina Brown and others through the Dordogne Valley, France on bicycles;

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Been ‘pursued’ by over 30 baboons interested in a banana - terrifying;

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Not lived at home since I was 13 years old;

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Ridden my bicycle 500 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage over the course of five days;

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Made it 50 years without a cavity;

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Been fountain hopping in Rome;

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Gone 28 days without a shower - though I don’t make a habit of it;

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Watched a lion kill an impala;

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Paddled a sea kayak from Everglades City to Key West;

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Pulled an all nighter to knit a sweater I never ended up wearing;

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Summited Mt. Elbert - the tallest 14er in Colorado;

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Waded and hiked through an alligator infested swamp in the Florida Everglades;

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Spent 75 days in an 18’ trailer, covering 11,056 miles, through two countries, six provinces, and 21 states with a three and five year old;

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Been ‘blessed’ by an elephant in the streets of Jodhpur, India;

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Slept under the stars in the Thar desert 40 km from the Pakistan border;

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Ridden a camel in and out of said desert;

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Bought a 1400lb, motorized 8 x 12 Chandler & Price Letterpress and had it moved down stairs, into my basement, without having a clue how to operate it;

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Taken up oil painting at the age of 42 and it's become a significant source of my income;

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Been Vice President of a Board of Directors for Portland Backpack - an organization that aims to minimize food insecurity;

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Drove 2725 miles over the course of three days with two kittens and two teenagers as passengers;

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Completed a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation course with no prior meditation practice;

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Painted 100 human portraits in oil paint over the course of five months.

 

When I’m in, I’m all in.

I’m up for the challenge and I rise to the occasion.