Archive of Anne's Notes:

Fall & Winter 2006

   I do not know if it was the time or place that brought about my total captivation with Candace B. Pert's book, ''Molecules of Emotion''.  I was on vacation in British Columbia and the environment may have provided my total absorption of the contents.  Or it may have been the fact that I have pondered psychoneuroimmunology in prior studies and the style of writing that Candace used appealed to me.  Just before reading her book I had read that it is our inventory of beliefs that determine whether we accept a new idea or reject it outright.  Genuinely new and important ideas are often subjected to intense scrutiny, if not resistance and outright rejection.  Candace B. Pert spent many years in research and published many scientific findings before she came to her theory that biochemicals are the physiological substrates of emotion, the molecular underpinnings of what we experience as feelings, sensations, thoughts, drives, perhaps even spirit or soul.  Not all of her colleagues supported  the idea that emotions exist in two realms.  One is the mind.  The other is the realm of living matter.  Consciousness inhabits even the humblest quarters of our flesh.  A molecule is the tiniest possible piece of a substance that can still be identified as that substance.  Do molecules transmit emotions?  And are emotions fuelled by our thoughts and beliefs?

 

              Invisible forces attract one molecule to another, so that the molecules cohere into an identifiable substance.  There are receptor molecules that respond to energy and chemical cues by vibrating.  Basically, receptors function as sensing molecules.  The responsible element that causes the receptor to vibrate is called a ligand.  Ligand: from the Latin ligare, ''that which binds'' (same root as religion).  Any of a variety of small molecules that specifically bind to a cellular receptor and in so doing convey an informational message to the cell.  - Candace states that, ''When we consider emotions as chemical ligands we can better understand the phenomenon known as dissociated states of learning, or state-dependent recall.  Emotion-carrying peptide ligands facilitate memory in human beings.  Memory is stored information.  We must see emotions, present and recalled, as cellular signals that are involved in the process of translating information into physical reality.   Emotions are the pivotal point between mind and matter, influencing both.  Emotions are of the mental state and translate into feeling in the physical state.”

 

               Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. in his groundbreaking book, ''The Biology of Belief'', includes our perceptions, whether they are accurate or inaccurate, in the belief effect.  Are emotions fuelled by our thoughts and beliefs?  Both Pert and Lipton mention the ''information theory''.  Information is the bridge between mind and matter, psyche and soma.  Information transcends time and space, placing it beyond the confining limits of matter and energy.  Information theory seems to be converging with Eastern philosophy to suggest that the mind, the consciousness and non-ego awareness, consisting of information, exists first, prior to the physical realm.  The physical is secondary, merely an out-picturing of consciousness.  This is a radical thought; - probably to many.  For me it had an immediate resonance.  In other words, my molecules vibrated with a gentle hum of agreement, and I was thrilled by this realization.  Just stop and think: everything we perceive is information received or rejected, dependant on what we believe.  Our beliefs are an accumulation of memories from childhood to present based on what we learned and experienced.  Every time a new idea comes our way we go to our memory banks to find an association to verify whether we agree or not. 

To explore this further go to:

 http://www.lucent.com/minds/infotheory/what3.html  or http://www-lecb.ncifcrf.gov/~toms/delila.html   

Information theory makes perfect sense to me.  Whatever I see, touch, smell, hear or taste is information for me.  The self-conscious mind is self-reflective; it is a newly evolved ''sixth sense'' that observes everything, including our emotions.  How I process that information is the creation of my subsequent experience and growth in awareness.  How often have you heard the phrase ''keep an open mind''?  In the words of Mahatma Gandhi:

Your beliefs become your thoughts

Your thoughts become your words

Your words become your actions

Your actions become your habits

Your habits become your values

Your values become your destiny.

Spring/Summer 2006

England is well known as an isle of mystery.  Most recently the countryside has been studded with crop circles.  But before the crop circles, there were many places where the labyrinth attracted pilgrims and the curious.  On the occasions when I visited England, I would take the opportunity to walk the mazes.  I recall one labyrinth with very tall hedges where the twists and turns were thoroughly obscure.  Apparently, at the end of the day, the ground keeper would climb to a high perch and guide those who were stranded; - to the exit. The labyrinth can be a metaphor for life.  There are twists and detours, as well as dead ends.  Where is the ''inner'' and where is the ''outer'' rim?  As a whole, the labyrinth is both.  We look for purpose and meaning by going within and walk back out to share what we have realized.

 

Within the folds of the " Windsor Inspirational Network''  membership flier you can find explanation of what WIN offers.  Simply, it is an invitation to come together to share in the exploration of what it takes to be peaceful, compassionate, patient and full of zest for life.  Hopefully, we can all be motivated to expand our views and how we relate to life.  We can climb onto each others' shoulders to expose the maze and get an overview of what we each have found to be enlightening.  Along the way we discover that true health and happiness only emerges when we have health and harmony throughout the world.

 

William Tiller, Ph.D. states,  ''In my view, consciousness is the byproduct of spirit entering dense matter''.  Many do not know what consciousness is.  I imagine many think they know what spirit is.  My ever handy Webster's dictionary disclosed that both science and spiritual wisdom - or consciousness, are the same thing!  They both come from the Latin Scire which means ''to know''.  It thus becomes clear that out of the many approaches to knowing, through experiences, study, research, observations, realizations, revelations and relationships all knowing can be summed up as:

              Intuitive knowing

              Scientific knowing

              Spiritual knowing or Consciousness

Intuitive knowing incorporates ''conscience''.  It means to know good from bad or truth from false evidence appearing real.  This could be defined as ''having integrity''.  Integrity cannot be taught.  Integrity arises from deep within one's being, enhanced by the environment but containing an inherent truth.  All of us sense whether we are living in an integral manner through our conscience, and feelings.  This inner knowing guides us when we step away from our chosen expression or from our soul's blueprint.  With integrity what we say and what we do, has to match.

 

We all receive messages.  We in turn, send messages.  Intuitive messages don't always fit into our pre-planned activities.  Often we let them slide into ''come back later'' or ignore them all together.  It is unhealthy to ignore our intuition.  When you intuit and feel, you can heal.  Manifestation incorporates intuition and feeling.  To manifest is to give expression to.  For many, it is the fear of being seen or known which holds them back.  Harmony cannot contain rejection and resistance.

 

The beauty of the Universe is that no two people will do the same thing in the same way.  Life is about taking risks, entering the maze.  When we step into the unknown we need to learn to trust our intuition.  Outcomes are not predictable.  When we have the courage to put ourselves ''out there'' and learn from the experience, we become a true scientist.  I'll leave you with a statement from Christine Page, M.D.  ''All of us are scientists which has nothing to do with education or laboratories.  It has everything to do with our ability to bring spirit into matter, because in truth that is all that matters!"

 

Fall 2005

As far back as I can recall, Autumn has been my favorite season.  The harvest of Summer toil is brought to the table and nature is dressed in vivid colours of yellow, orange and red.  The morning mist dissipates as the rays of the sun burn it away and butterflies and birds head South.  Underfoot is a carpet of leaves, acorns, fading asters and goldenrod.  The decaying foliage is Nature's blanket to protect the soil from the harsh bite of frost and snow.  Fall is a calming transitional interlude.  I was looking forward to spending some time in the quiet North to bask in it's splendor. -  Not this year.  As departure date pressed ever closer, weighty decisions needed to be made:  To celebrate a wedding anniversary, birthday, a professional achievement and a church service to attend where our October 24th speaker would hold the Light.  Those were just the first few days.  Next came the invitation to launch meditation groups, meet with a lightworker who was in town from Sedona, Arizona.  Also departing for India, was my friend Ranji who I did not get to see much of because I was away for much of the time that she was here in Windsor.  My decision to remain in Windsor rippled from my own family into the community.  My husband and I brought the WIN website up to date.  Additional contacts were generated and nothing was put ''on hold'' to be taken care of ''later''. 

God and my guides know my intent.  What I want to do for myself overflows into relationships and it is known.  The values and ideas are on the ready to be implemented.  My perceptions are expanding as I take on the challenge of new concepts and unexpected revelations.  I realize that our thoughts build upon themselves.  As we tiptoe through events purely on the symbolic and intuitional we realize that as the new and fresh revelations sweep over us there is constant referencing taking place.  Do I agree with what is being presented?  I have a choice of outright rejection or the choice of consideration.  How does a book or a person influence me/us?  In order to attract our attention, speakers, books and magazines suggest ideas and concepts that we already accept.  Then they gradually build up to offering a fresh and stimulating point of view.  Will I go along?  Will I listen or read the book?   Am I full of traditional tracks of mind and thought that leave no space in my head for alternative concepts and experience?   I have discovered that it is in the following of an intuitive thread that ultimately brings meaning into our lives.  There is an art to mindful listening.  We have an internal moment of ''AHA'' in which our response is, ''So this is what it is all about''.  Each new day we look forward to what will unfold for us.  And as often said, ''Variety is the Spice of Life''.

We need to consciously challenge our brain to incorporate our sensing skills.  They are so natural to our being-ness that we hardly give them notice.  There is much emphasis, these days, on physical exercise.  Have you noticed the attention to fitness in schools, in consumer advertising and the way we look at our bodies?  What amazes me is that many of the fitness clubs place you on a stationary walking machine and set you up to face a TV screen.  There you view advertisements to buy products.  There you view all of the anchor people who report on the world woes and disasters.  It's called consensus reality.  If you perform a limited set of thoughts and activities as a routine, life will appear bleak and senseless.  You may go home to your computer to seek out the human response from all over the world that speaks of compassion and caring.  You may also attend motivational gatherings such as those offered by friends and WIN or even Parks & Recreation.  To your physical fitness exercises add Neurobics.  You can read about brain exercises in our September ''past meetings'.   It is fun to interact with our friends and presenters.

Relax with your thoughts.  Watch them skip and dance.  Then ponder what affects them. 

 

Happy September 2005 to Everyone:

 

September, for many of us, is ''Back to School'' and end of vacation.  It's putting down roots into activities at ''home''.  And so it is with WIN dinner/speaker events as well as all related activities that you will find on our website postings within upcoming events.  http://hudec.ca/winwin

 

To remind you, our book study group meets every Tuesday from 10:00 am to Noon.  The book we will be working with is ''Ask and It Is Given...Learning to Manifest Your Desires'' by Esther and Jerry Hicks (The teachings of Abraham Speaks about the power of attraction).  This topic was eloquently brought to our attention by Larry Dossey, M.D. in his book "Be Careful What You Pray For... You Just Might Get It'', first published in 1997.  For participation and additional information please contact Sue Oneschuk at 519-253-8774.  We will be gathering at the Holistic Wellness Centre, 1350 Provincial Rd., Windsor, ON.

 

Our guest speaker for September 26th is Dr. Craig Schisler, M.A., D.C.  I first became aware of Dr. Schisler's unique approach to chiropractic manipulation when I attended a talk he gave about the components of the brain.  Very neuroscientific, I thought.  It was he, who first brought my attention to the research of Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., now famous for his published work entitled ''The Biology of Belief''.

 

The question to answer is, ''What part of the brain stores memory?''  Dr. Schisler has a replica of the brain that he uses in his presentations.  He may bring it to his talk.  The lights that came on in the frontal lobes when the brain stem was stimulated fascinated me.  I was aware of the Triune Brain from Joseph Chilton Pearce's books and lectures, as well as the well illustrated book by Stanley Keleman, "Emotional Anatomy''. 

 

Now to the Triune Brain. The human brain is triune -- actually three brains fitted together with the outer two encasing the third.  The brain stem, the deepest and oldest, (our species' evolutionary past) is often called the reptilian brain because it resembles the entire brain of the reptile; in humans it contains instinctive programs for basic survival.  Encasing the brain stem is the mammalian brain, developed by a ground-dweller who used it to interpret smells. Enfolding both these brains is the cerebrum, which exploded frontally.  Though our outer brain serves as our reasoning and decision making executive, all three brains remain active in our daily lives.  The functions roughly correspond to instinct, emotion and reason.  As evolution favored language, reason and logic, we blocked messages from the emotional and instinctive parts of the brain.  All of the work with aromatherapy and CranioSacral Therapy is to release the pressure of denied experience and feelings in the reptilian and mammalian parts of the brain.  Our task is to understand where our responses come from and how to bring wholeness and healing where it is needed.  We live from instinct to volition which in the human is a layering of consciousness.

 

Relax with your thoughts.  Watch them skip and dance.  Then ponder what affects them.  Did you smell, emote and realize Inspiration?

 

Apring/Summer 2005

Here we are at the cutting edge of thought and action.  How elegant it is to know that we are networking in our community for better communication and excellent well being.  All of us connecting to make the world a caring, loving, kind and compassionate web of peace.

 

Our Spiritual Cinema Circle has received a nod in the form of an article in ''The Windsor Star'' entitled CINEMA AS THERAPY - Psychotherapists using movies to help people cope with emotional problems.  The movies we offer for viewing are not distributed for the big screen. They do have big heart and inspiration.  Also, the opportunity to discuss and expand on the contents with friends and film buffs.

 

Our book study group is discussing ‘’The Power of Intention – Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way’’ by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer and it has been like a freshly opened bottle of champagne.  The cork has blown off into space, and what is flowing are stories of incredible release.  There is no need to suppress and repress experiences into a vacuum when we know in our hearts we are not alone.  We have created a circle of sharing and stimulation that opens us to the beauty and strength within.   The narratives are touching, just like those we like to read in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul'' series by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Stephanie Marston.  Only, ours are intimate. We have those who listen, and respond.  We have immediate respect and acceptance.  No need to look for a publisher for distribution.

 

There is one story that came to me in the Winter magazine from ISSSEEM. (The International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine).  It has to do with the tsunami disaster in southeast Asia and how one healer is making a 'difference'.  I found it so poignant and at the same time uplifting that I have inserted the entire contents in our website section of INSPIRATIONS.  It is written by Ranjan and entitled ''Power of the Destroyer-Dancer''.

 

Ranjan has a private practice in the therapeutic application of ''energy'' work.  He taught at the School for Independent Study at the University of East London and had helped create and run the St. James Centre for Health and Healing in Piccadilly, London.  In 1988 he spent a week at Harvard University Medical School participating in a research project on healing.  He has lived and worked in Chicago, where he taught at DePaul University and had a clinical practice there. His patients come from all walks of life, ranging from a member of the British Royal Family, to academics, doctors, to homemakers, students and the unemployed.

 

In October of 2004, Nicole Daignault spoke at WIN about her involvement in India.  For details click our ''Past Meetings'' page.  See it all blend into the NOW.

Synergistically,

Anne K. Hudec

 

Winter 2004/2005

Have you been noticing your thoughts lately? Where do they come from, how and when you receive them and what their content is? I began to pay special attention to the receipt and formation of ''thought'' as it happens in my every day flow of activity. Let me give you a few examples.

 

I was sitting and reading ''Insights'' by Kathy Sinnett, RN, when quite apart from what I was reading a trail of thought entered my awareness. It was a family situation that had been resolved some days prior but now that resolution had a new twist. It required me to evaluate the situation and take certain steps that involved me, personally. As I thought about it, I mentally agreed that it was a reasonable and wise change of involvement. No sooner did I complete this mental dialogue, than my husband comes to where I am sitting and proposes this new tactic. And I was in total agreement with his proposal. Now, here is where I began to trace this thought tendril to its source. The ''new'' twist originated with my husband, in another room. He had this thought, that involved me, and I picked it up. By the time he came to where I was sitting, the thought had done its mission and total agreement of outcome was reached. No discussion was needed.

 

During our summer vacation with our eldest daughter and granddaughter our mental thoughts and images danced together. I would be thinking something, verbalize my thoughts and one of the other three would say, ''I was thinking that very thing". Or when we were taking pictures of nature's beauty and admire the same growth of trees, the comment more often than not, would be, "Get out of my head''. What amazed me was the fact that our two and a half year old granddaughter was in on this wave length. This is similar to and yet not quite like the times we think of telephoning someone and they are calling us.

 

My most recent experience with telepathy is a bit more involved. It involves family, friends and advertising media. The September issue of ''Windsor Life Magazine'' features Alimah. The cultures explored and celebrated at Alimah are as far reaching as the students who Khrista Boon teaches. Our eldest daughter took dancing classes with Khrista. The other newsprint is the LaSalle Post, dated August 25, 2004. In it is a feature article on the Holistic Wellness Centre. Naturally, I called Louise Klimczak to tell her how good it was and what great advertising is being done. Then we started talking about various places to advertise holistic outreach. I asked her if she had considered ''Windsor Life Magazine''. As I was talking I visualized the issue in my mind. Louise said that advertising in WLM was too expensive, unless they did a feature. My mind went to the article about Alimah and the picture there. All of a sudden, Louise explains, "Oh my goodness, there is Khrista." She had the magazine in her office, picked it up as we were talking and zeroed in on the very page (33) that I had in my mental vision. - Do you see the connections of people, circumstance and thread of connecting thought? Thought produces direction for our attention, emotion provides the fuel for our attention.

 

I am sure many of us are familiar with Larry Dossey's book, ''Be Careful What You Pray For... You Just Might Get It". Dr. Dossey tells us that Richard S. Broughton, director of research at the Rhine Research Center in Durham, North Carolina, disagrees with those who claim that long-distance mental abilities such as telepathy and clairvoyance are exotic traits possessed by a few rare souls. He proposes that telepathy is widely shared and that being human means being ''psi effective'', to some degree.

 

Dr. Masaru Emoto, of Japan has illustrated in his books "Messages from Water" just how molecules of water are affected by thoughts, words and feelings. He offers proof that water is alive and responsive to our every emotion.

 

Nobel physicist Brian D. Josephson, of Cambridge University's Cavendish Laboratory, has proposed that consciousness makes possible ''the biological utilization of quantum nonlocality''. He believes that nonlocal events not only exist at the subatomic level, but also, through the actions of the mind, can be amplified and can emerge in our everyday experience as distant mental events of a broad variety.

 

Greg Braden in his book "Walking Between The Worlds" asks us to heal our illusion of separation. Allow yourself the possibility that there is a single force in our world expressing as all that we know. From the Lakota Sioux sacred words, say out loud: "I remember union. I heal our illusion of separation. I heal our illusion within myself. I choose Union. Separation heals within me."

Summer 2004

One of the reasons we get very stuck when making jumps in awareness is that we know what we are looking for, but we don't want to risk going into unfamiliar territory to find it. Let there be joy when you step into the unknown. It takes courage. It takes heart--and that is the evolutionary leap." -Patricia Sun

Here I am, playing with technology that I would not have attempted a year ago. Here I am, networking with you in a fashion that was at one time only a potential. There have been past ventures at reaching out that many of you are familiar with. The book study groups. The public workshops on journal writing, dream interpretation and meditation. The WIN lecture on "Inspiration as Power" made me recall the many times I had initiated gathering such as the ones we are having now. One of the ladies at that same dinner event wondered if I remembered her from the days long ago when we meditated together through the auspices of 'continuing education'. Another asked me if I was still following the teachings of Kryon. - I used to have yearly Summer Back Yard gatherings for those of us who enjoy Kryon seminars. Those Summer gatherings used to be of a week-end duration and many guests stayed in Amherstburg , ON , and we'd spend time chatting in the park. Spiritual ties are well in place, all of us are connected.

In my travels and search for my authentic self, Patricia Sun was a bright star in the ambiguous twilight. The unfamiliar territory, was just that, 'unfamiliar'. We have experiences and questions that we long to understand. Some thirty years ago there were no books the likes of 'Conversations With God' by Neale Donald Walsch. There was Jean Houston with her "The Possible Human" and Lawrence LeShan with his 'Alternate Realities'. There was religion and there was science. There was what I knew, what I intuited and what I needed to understand. I would say that my consciousness took an evolutionary leap and my personality has been scaling the heights of academia and mysticism with baby steps. Somewhere along the way we become stable. On our way we meet people like Carolyne Myss, Norma Mylanowich, Elmer Green, Stan Groff, Anthony Robbins and now Lynn McTaggart comes along with her book 'The Field' and puts it all together. West meets East, Spirit meets Science and we call it the quantum theory.

That leaves us in the arena of information dispensing and gathering. Long ago I realized that there is simply too much data out there that interfered with my wellness and wholeness. I found myself on a path less traveled. You and I are individuals who thrive on love, peace, joy, laughter, and discourse. There is pure bliss when we encounter another human being who is receptive to exploration. There is freedom of expression when we do not meet with resistance. There is growth when we meet another who encourages us to be who we are. We love to create, and we do that with every choice we make. How do we make the right choices? It all depends on how we FEEL with the choice. Do we feel good and confident about OUR choice? Are you sure it is YOUR choice and not another's? Once we make decisions, do we learn from those that did not meet our expectations? To be confident in life we need to know what our dream and intent encompass. Once we know our heart's desire, we can leap. The wings of inspiration, ideas, research, courage and vision will carry us onward. And we do it with heart.

 

April/May 2004 

How easily we flow from Winter into Spring. Did you have time to notice? What images come to your mind as you read the word "Flow"? In our section of the site where I highlight books and links, you will find two books that focus on "Flow".

 

  I always associate flow with movement. The movement can be found in nature as we apply our thought and visualization to flow. A river is in flow as it thunders through rapids and over waterfalls. So is the brook, as it gurgles around fallen logs and jutting boulders. The ocean displays it's flow with the tides. From sea to sky we see the clouds scurrying by. The clouds bring us rain that creates the flow of moisture for the earth. Good soil conditions produce abundant crops as Summer flows into harvest time. Abundant crops keep us healthy. The wellness of our being creates the energy for us to walk, run, and yes, to think and talk. Everywhere we are, we are in "Flow".

 

  "Flow" enables us to be lucid and mindful. A rose is not just a rose: it is the vibrant depths of the colour yellow, the whirl of intricate interlaced petals, the soft texture of velvet. When you focus on the details, you open yourself to discovery. You get the most of every minute because you look at life as an explorer. When you are mindful, you are aware, engaged, and non-judgmental, a state which encourages synchronicity to surface.

 

  Mindfulness is inward as well as outward. It connects you with others by allowing you to fully engage in the flow of circumstance. I witnessed this flow in a lecture given by Ronald Grimes of Wilfrid Laurier University when he was a guest of the Humanities Research Group at our University of Windsor . The title of his talk was, "Ritual, Performance, and the Sequestering of Sacred Space." Grimes is a professor as well as consultant in the area of religion and culture. While researching the validity and usefulness of Icon screens in Orthodox churches he was called to participate in the rendering of a drama with a theatrical group. While thus engaged he got first hand experience of what takes place in front and behind a screen. Theatrical props can be likened to a podium behind which a speaker stands or the desk that separates the professor from the students that come in for consultations. To illustrate his point, Grimes moved around the floor and stood behind the podium only to keep track of his notes. He told us that while he was thinking about the Icon screens as a protective veil he happened to hear a radio discussion about the qualities of our skin. What he learned about the skin of our bodies related to the Icon screens, the props in a play and the reason we wear the personas that we do. His entire presentation was so connected and flowed with such ease that I was sorry when it came to a close. I was swept up in the verbal and visual flow of the topic and how it relates to our exchanges with those around us.

 

  "I have often thought that the best way to define a man's character would be to seek out the particular mental or moral attitude in which, when it came upon him, he felt himself most deeply and intensively active and alive." - William James

 

Synergistically,

 

Anne K. Hudec

 

February/March 2004:

Feel every day as if it's the first day of a long vacation. Now, I am not saying, "Remember the first day of your vacation''. How did it FEEL, is what I want to focus upon.

In the middle of a very cold Canadian Winter, I was privileged to spend a month on the ocean swept beaches of Mexico . What did I feel on the very first day? Liberated and free. No activities planned, nowhere to go, I simply released myself to relax and be. I soaked up the warm rays of the sun as I stretched myself on a chaise lounge. I felt my heels dig into the yielding sand and oozed the spill of it through my toes. I splashed into the ocean waves when I discovered the water was warm.

I felt wonderful and basked in the prospect of what was in store for me in the month ahead. I was happy, content in the moment, yet filled with a sense of anticipation of what would unfold in the days ahead. I was within the known circumference of the resort. I looked forward to the exploration of what lay beyond in a culture full of the jungle and a people who live with nature.

When we first went to Mexico , five years ago, I was jostled in the squeeze of bodies as the buses lurched over potholes on the narrow streets. I felt my breath rush into my lungs when I stepped into a taxi that had no floor boards. I delighted in the spicy aromas as vendors sold their sausages and corn on the street corners. And bargaining was fun, just to see how much you could get for as little as you dared. Yes, I looked forward to the motley scenes of Mexico life.

Change, however, is happening quickly. These days they have buses with cushioned seats and many more of them. There still are pot holes in the cobbled streets. You still need to watch out for the void where you expect a sidewalk to be. The taxi cabs are new and air conditioning is man created, not rushing through the floorboards. The vendors are located in neat flea markets and most of the stores have uniform and fixed prices. And there are as many 'imports' to choose from as there are items locally created. What has not changed is the hospitality and warmth of the people. And they are forbearing.

What has a vacation to do with feelings? Why do we take vacations, for that matter? To me it has to do with change. You relax quickly in an environment that differs from norm. You look forward to new discoveries. Life is exciting and filled with wonder.

It is this wonder and participation with life that opens us up to seek and know. What do other travelers see and share? What can other cultures add to our experiences? What can we discover in ourselves in order to be in that state of desire and expectation every day? Even when life styles and ideas diverge slightly from our own philosophies there is something to be gained. People and destinations are always an important and necessary part of our life's journey. The journey need not go beyond our front door. It can be anywhere we choose to be. How is it to be back home? Adventurous and wonder - full!