My 100th Post - The Stories

Wow, hard to believe I've done 100 stories already. And there's so much more to tell. I don't think I've even touched my most interesting experiences yet. I don't want to start with the best stories only to fizzle out later.

To this point I haven't spoken to my European travels. Mostly because I find European travel to be less exciting than more remote areas of the world. But that's just a preference thing.

There are a number of places I've enjoyed in Europe, though. France is a beautiful country with the Loire region offering exciting castle destinations and wonderful small villages. The Boudreaux wine region is very nice, especially if one is a partaker of the fruit of the vine. I recall a day trip I took to Cognac where I saw how the real stuff is made. Good memories!

Additionally, I've loved travel to the Nordic countries of Sweden and Finland. They remind me much of the beautiful state in which I was raised, Maine. I hope to return to the northern parts of those countries again.

But to this point my post focus has been the less developed and more remote areas of the world. Areas where western culture hasn't completely dominated yet. Not that I'm opposed to our culture, it's just it doesn't provide enough opportunity to grow by learning from the diversity of cultures.

As I've mentioned in a previous post, Wanderlust can be a curse. Mainly because it always leaves me with a feeling of wanting more, and like a drug, the next adventure needs to be a new high or there is a feeling of disappointment.

Wanderlust

I mean, who wouldn't want to go here?

But the world just isn't that big. Eventually the adventures run out. Then what?

Life is about the stories. When we pass away little will be remembered of us. A stone in a cemetery that may get a few visitors for a few minutes each year for a generation isn't much of a legacy. The material goods we leave behind for others to enjoy is a small tribute to our remembrance. But the stories are the things that endure. Stories are the things that are told of us after we pass. We want to leave good stories,

Stories are what we remember in our old age as well. Of course our children and grandchildren are great legacies to us, but that's a common legacy to most people. What events took place in our lives that are unique? What adversities did we face and overcome? Stories of achievement. Stories of helping others. Stories of interactions with people and our environment, the more unique, the better, at least in my view.

That's why this travel blog has a simple title. It's about the stories. Few of us take the time to document the stories of our lives. By failing to do so we leave the stories to faulty and failing memories.

My younger daughter gave me a memorable Father's Day gift a few years ago. It was a book entitled "The Story of My Life". Each week I was prompted to document a story about some life aspect and send in to the company that made a book out of it. At the end of a year the hardcover book was mailed to me,

I don't mean to sound egotistical in my view of legacy. Legacy is more than remembrance after we pass. But it gives a sense of identity to generations beyond. One day many in our DNA line will want to know the stories. I know I'd like to know the stories of the travels that brought my ancestors to this country. I'd love to know their struggles in life. But I never will because unwritten stories die out over a single generation, two at the most.

After 100 posts and weeks of work assembling these stories, I have a readership of a handful and it's actually decreased! I expect these stories are much more interesting to me than others, although I recognize and appreciate the kind words of the readers I do have. I really mean that! It would be hard to post to zero readership!

But I have an ulterior motive as well. More than telling stories to a world that likely has little attentiveness to the stories of a stranger. I hope to document stories for future descendants who would like to know the stories of their ancestors. The stories I wish I had of the patriarchs of my family, I wish to make available to them. Beyond that, if there is value to anyone else who reads these posts, it's a bonus.

Thank you to those who read these stories. Your kindness is appreciated!