At this time, with war and destruction around the globe and innocent human beings dying pointlessly, what can I do? The best thing I can do for my and your sanity, is to focus on gratitude and what brings us joy, our common humanity and the consciousness in everyone and everything. No excuses this is about the spirit!

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I just completed a 6 day kayaking expedition with a small group into 10,000 islands in SW Florida. Even though I have done a lot of river kayaking, this was my first experience of having to carry all our food, water and equipment across open water in rough seas and windy conditions. we learned how to pack the kayaks: A for Access, B for Balance and C for Compression. I hope these poems give you an idea what this trip was like.

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I picked up my journals of 2017 and 2020 and I found some poems that really resonate with me today. Just a brief explanation I have been following a path of yoga called Siddha Yoga with our teacher Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, for many years. And on January 1st each year she gives us a message, "A SWEET SURPRISE", something to think about for the year and that is how this episode will begin.

The poems of 2020 reflect a fresh view of the world that was sparked by the New Year's message. 2017 was clearly a more challenging time, similar to 2025.

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In August 2025 my wife, daughter & Son-in-law drove and lived in an RV as we travelled around iceland for 10 days - now hear what we experienced! You can SEE some of what we saw on my website, and more completely in my book available as a pdf or printed at

https://www.blurb.com/b/12547137-iceland-travelling-the-ring-road

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These poems give a small flavor of our 3 week journey through Japan, which followed my walk on the Kumano Kodo. In my photo book, Exploring Japan, the themes are Transportation, Food, Gardens, Shrines and Temples and unique cultural experiences like Sumo wrestling, Taiko drumming, a zen monk, making Mochi and Mulberry paper. These poems, some in the form of WAKAs, follow these themes.

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After 26 hours of travel and a nights rest my pilgrimage begins.

The Kumano Kodō is made up of multiple pilgrimage routes, and my first day is at the end of the Kiiji route, then I continue and in six days complete the Nakahechi route. Most of these poems start in the Japanese form of Waka or Tanka.

With a loose 5 line structure of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables . The music you hear is a duet of Japanese instruments, the Koto harp and the shakuhachi flute

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As I am about to leave to walk in Japan on the Kumano Kodo, I will leave Florida and the US and enter a different time zone in many ways. This will be a pilgrimage into another culture, into walking time when everything slows down and awareness of the moment takes hold. Meanwhile on my training walks I find refreshing moments. The final poems are from my book Step by Step about my Camino walk in 2016.

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The last week in March in Washington DC, the cherry blossoms performed their annual wake up call, to remind us that nature is beautiful and apolitical. The Smithsonian museums gave us artists sharing their views of their worlds through their creativity - opening our minds, eyes and hearts to new ideas and ways to see and feel the world. The Smithsonian Zoo welcomed visitors to enjoy its animals and especially the happy Giant Pandas. These poems reflect my experience during those few days in DC.

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