Dear Suleika, traveling alone is such a powerful thing to do. I wish you all the best things for your uncertain time, right now. My love and I sometimes think we have gotten used to it, in the last 15 years with a rare disease, but it can feel dreadful and joyful many times. It reminds me of something Martha Beck spoke about on her podcast 'caught between hope and fear' . Both in hope and fear you're standing on a rickety ladder, either climbing up or down. It's better to stand with both feet in the now, and find the most joyful, loving spot as possible.
My trailblazer was my godmother, who was in the resistance in WW2 as a young woman, got captured together with her fiancee, atrocious things were done to her, her beloved died in concentration camp, but she remained a fierce, loving and joyful woman all her life. She never married, but had many friends. She died in my arms nine years ago. Surrounded by people who loved her.
What a delight to awaken at dawn, make my cuppa Joe, open my phone and find your new post. Your courage, and of course Tom’s, are incomparable. Very few of us could challenge the very core of ourselves in such extraordinary ways. After everything that you’ve been through, looking death in the face, I can hardly think of taking on such a long solo road trip. You are a brilliant light in this world, my dear. There is no one else like you.
I am also challenging myself. I just turned 80 and have planned a number of solo adventures. I am off to Asia for the first time next month, by land, air and sea. In the spring, I am taking a ship from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle, where my son, daughter-in-law and little grandchildren live; rather a circuitous route. Underlying my adventures is a certain amount of fear, but I really don’t think much about all the things that can go wrong. I’m not a great sailor, but I have two kinds of Dramamine that seem to work well. I imagine you too don’t think much about what can go wrong, but rather about what beauty, friendships, mysteries, lie ahead. These lives are so temporary, why not push the pedal to the metal. On to another 🌅 sunrise💖
Dear Suzy, I am also am turning 80 and am in awe of Suleika . I have learned so much by following Suleika and probably most of all I now look at 80 in a very different light. For now , I am excited by your adventure and look forward to following you . . I guess the best way to follow you is through Substack . Are you on Instagram ? In the meantime , happy trails .
Here’s to Ramzi Abu Radwan. And to Sandy Tolan who wrote a book, “Children of the Stone”, a true story of Ramzi’s journey, so far.
In 2015 I happened upon Sandy’s book. What a delightful, inspiring story. Ramzi created a school for music in Ramallah, Palestine, for children. I read this book, wrote Ramzi to say “bravo”, what a wonderful offering to children. Ramzi wrote back, asking for examples of my own music making. This led, in 2016, to an invitation to visit Ramallah, to participate in a sacred music festival. A foundation funded my whole journey. This journey was full of music, magic, and inspiration. In one village I found myself sitting on a park bench, drinking Arabic coffee, playing a flute. A Palestinian family sat down at a table in front of me. The parents had just bought two wooden flutes for their young daughters. One by one the sisters sat next to me and we fluted together.
I felt adopted by this family.
My journey, nourished by Ramzi’s generous spirit, still inspires me. A life altering experience “as they say”. Now it is 2024. During my recent 10month study of non-violent communication, I met Rosemary, a teacher of children in a small school in Kenya. A few days ago I sent, via WhatsApp, a short video of myself playing a flute. I wished to say hello to the children in Rosemary’s school. We have begun to exchange videos. I’ve had the delight of seeing and hearing the children reciting poems.
Music. It heals, soothes, promises and creates peace. May this continue.🏮
Sukeika thank you so much for this writing today. It brings back wonderful memories of reading your book while I was myself in induction and wondering where it would all go. I know you know this but your writing has been so so so meaningful for so many. For me you've been carrying a lantern ahead in the dark that I have followed. It lights my path even now during endless post transplant complications and the enduring question I face daily, Do you want to keep going? When I read your stories I am answered. The pain and happy times are equally of value to my soul. Thank you for staying with us for a time. I am so joyful to have you, my prophet, leading onward.
This: “I understood how one thing leads to the next and the next thing leads to all others. I wasn't an individual set apart in time, but a continuation of ideas; not the brush, but the paint; not self-governed, but guided by greater forces.” Wonderful!
Suleika…so good to read your work this morning with coffee. Getting ready for my regular Ovarian cancer scans etc. you help me believe that no matter what we go on ♥️
Hello Suleika. Thank you for your words. I cried. For the beautiful gifts in your writing. The moving forward with each and every day with illness is a daily challenge for me. And I love the beauty of all here.
Suleika, Between Two Kingdoms is how I discovered you, and I'm so grateful to "know" you, even from the distance of the Internet (and your book). I have read many books filled with other people's brave explorations, and probably live vicariously through them as I cannot travel myself, but they inspire me to push the boundaries I can. Your words encouraged me find courage in this in-between place I'm in right now. I have felt like I'm in limbo and can't move ahead until I find out about the next medical "thing," but you reminded me why that's not true and how important it is to live in the moment (again...I keep forgetting). I'm going to be pre-ordering Tom's book. I read all of Jedidiah Jenkin's parents books on their walk across America, and his book "To Shake the Sleeping Self." I'm looking forward to more.
My Younger Self...I had to be the one to physically leave each of my three "live in" relationships. This last one, my longest at 20 years, was the most difficult ever. My mantra (oh, along with my weekly therapy, meds to tamp down life long my anxiety travel companion and yoga): "I have done this before and I can do it again." My therapist, upon hearing that I finally made the jump to freedom last week called me The Bold Mover. Thank you, Younger Self, for blazing the trail.
Back in 2008, I was on a business trip that took me to Tupelo, Mississippi. I had built a couple of extra days into my schedule, thinking I’d spend them in
Memphis (about 90 minutes northwest). Hearing that I loved music, one of my hosts suggested
I explore the Mississippi Blues Trail, which was in its infancy. It takes you through the Delta, visiting places that are significant in the history of the Blues. To this Michigan girl, the scenery and the relationship of the land and the water were revelations. I only scratched the surface and I’d go back in a heart beat. https://msbluestrail.org/
These entries gave me goosebumps. So much to think about. I'm having a cup of coffee on my couch, with my own dog snuggled up in my lap, and my mind is contemplating...❤️
I was just remembering your book Between Two Kingdoms today and so glad that you have recommended here also Tom Turcich's new book. Will look forward to it.
Your kindness and courage in everything you do it gives all of us so much hope. Thank you so much.
Hello, I have been and am a solo traveler-roads are different or not at all-- it began with books. I was probably a junior in high school, working in a theater that took 3 busses to arrive. Ater the show I sat in a bar while the actors drank and then drove me home. I sometimes climbed in the window because the door was locked.
I came upon a book called The Asiatics-- and it spoke to me desire to walk around the globe-starting in Pakistan. The simple story is of a young man with no particular description and he was in Lebanon and began the travels looking for answers which of course were ambiguous -I read this book many times Andre Gide wrote the introduction -so - I found Gide-- I learned the author Frederic Proksch had not traveled at all-his imagination did-- and so I learned miles counted for nothing if eyes were closed.
And then I found Orlando --yes Virginia Woolf - and Orlando-- be as you be-- and so I continue to travel either different roads--walking the dog on Delancy--North Vietnam close to Russia--and somehow have never been drawn to cars of public transportation---still footing it.
Good morning, Susu! Thank you for all the wise and wonderful guidance you bring as an artist to this wild world of unknowns. Your writing and be-ing shine so bright and the call to adventure is heard and embraced here too. Each day in small ways I head out not knowing what events may transpire. I’m here in the Carolinas listening to Eva Cassidy’s blues album and tree watching. If someone had told me at 55 I would drive from the Midwest through the Smokies in the rain under a full moon I never would have dreamed it possible. Yet, here I am. Let’s see what the moment brings? Super honored for this interwebs friendship. And, of course, adventures are even better with a dog. Woof! PS My Mom left Prairietown, Illinois for NY and Chicago. Can you imagine? My Aunt Tootsie signed up for the Women’s Army Corps and went to the Philippines during WWII. My grandmother, an Uptown Girl, married the working class glass blower and farmer at 16. These adventures of the heart make life even more rich when planted in soil of stories we’ve yet to tell and lands of being we’ve yet to experience. Though I haven’t traveled by plane in years, each day holds new possibilities some mundane and some more extraordinary than even this dreamer poet can weave. Love you so much, Suleika, (Jon too and the wolf pack) and Carmen and Holly too. “When we walked in fields of gold”…—Eva Cassidy
Dear Suleika, traveling alone is such a powerful thing to do. I wish you all the best things for your uncertain time, right now. My love and I sometimes think we have gotten used to it, in the last 15 years with a rare disease, but it can feel dreadful and joyful many times. It reminds me of something Martha Beck spoke about on her podcast 'caught between hope and fear' . Both in hope and fear you're standing on a rickety ladder, either climbing up or down. It's better to stand with both feet in the now, and find the most joyful, loving spot as possible.
My trailblazer was my godmother, who was in the resistance in WW2 as a young woman, got captured together with her fiancee, atrocious things were done to her, her beloved died in concentration camp, but she remained a fierce, loving and joyful woman all her life. She never married, but had many friends. She died in my arms nine years ago. Surrounded by people who loved her.
What a delight to awaken at dawn, make my cuppa Joe, open my phone and find your new post. Your courage, and of course Tom’s, are incomparable. Very few of us could challenge the very core of ourselves in such extraordinary ways. After everything that you’ve been through, looking death in the face, I can hardly think of taking on such a long solo road trip. You are a brilliant light in this world, my dear. There is no one else like you.
I am also challenging myself. I just turned 80 and have planned a number of solo adventures. I am off to Asia for the first time next month, by land, air and sea. In the spring, I am taking a ship from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle, where my son, daughter-in-law and little grandchildren live; rather a circuitous route. Underlying my adventures is a certain amount of fear, but I really don’t think much about all the things that can go wrong. I’m not a great sailor, but I have two kinds of Dramamine that seem to work well. I imagine you too don’t think much about what can go wrong, but rather about what beauty, friendships, mysteries, lie ahead. These lives are so temporary, why not push the pedal to the metal. On to another 🌅 sunrise💖
Dear Suzy, I am also am turning 80 and am in awe of Suleika . I have learned so much by following Suleika and probably most of all I now look at 80 in a very different light. For now , I am excited by your adventure and look forward to following you . . I guess the best way to follow you is through Substack . Are you on Instagram ? In the meantime , happy trails .
on to another sunrise indeed! bon voyage.
Here’s to Ramzi Abu Radwan. And to Sandy Tolan who wrote a book, “Children of the Stone”, a true story of Ramzi’s journey, so far.
In 2015 I happened upon Sandy’s book. What a delightful, inspiring story. Ramzi created a school for music in Ramallah, Palestine, for children. I read this book, wrote Ramzi to say “bravo”, what a wonderful offering to children. Ramzi wrote back, asking for examples of my own music making. This led, in 2016, to an invitation to visit Ramallah, to participate in a sacred music festival. A foundation funded my whole journey. This journey was full of music, magic, and inspiration. In one village I found myself sitting on a park bench, drinking Arabic coffee, playing a flute. A Palestinian family sat down at a table in front of me. The parents had just bought two wooden flutes for their young daughters. One by one the sisters sat next to me and we fluted together.
I felt adopted by this family.
My journey, nourished by Ramzi’s generous spirit, still inspires me. A life altering experience “as they say”. Now it is 2024. During my recent 10month study of non-violent communication, I met Rosemary, a teacher of children in a small school in Kenya. A few days ago I sent, via WhatsApp, a short video of myself playing a flute. I wished to say hello to the children in Rosemary’s school. We have begun to exchange videos. I’ve had the delight of seeing and hearing the children reciting poems.
Music. It heals, soothes, promises and creates peace. May this continue.🏮
Sukeika thank you so much for this writing today. It brings back wonderful memories of reading your book while I was myself in induction and wondering where it would all go. I know you know this but your writing has been so so so meaningful for so many. For me you've been carrying a lantern ahead in the dark that I have followed. It lights my path even now during endless post transplant complications and the enduring question I face daily, Do you want to keep going? When I read your stories I am answered. The pain and happy times are equally of value to my soul. Thank you for staying with us for a time. I am so joyful to have you, my prophet, leading onward.
This: “I understood how one thing leads to the next and the next thing leads to all others. I wasn't an individual set apart in time, but a continuation of ideas; not the brush, but the paint; not self-governed, but guided by greater forces.” Wonderful!
Suleika…so good to read your work this morning with coffee. Getting ready for my regular Ovarian cancer scans etc. you help me believe that no matter what we go on ♥️
No matter what we go on. ❤️
Hello Suleika. Thank you for your words. I cried. For the beautiful gifts in your writing. The moving forward with each and every day with illness is a daily challenge for me. And I love the beauty of all here.
Hello, I have done a lot of solo traveling and embracing the adventure, more than the fear is key… for a trip and for life over all.
Often this is easier said than done especially when “ the heebie-jeebies” come in the middle of the night!
Best to you Suleika & to all as we continue on our adventures! As the seasons roll on once again…
Summer slipping away into autumnal glories
Just got back from Sicily! Pasta+ pizza+ pistachios + art+ the Mediterranean Sea= paradise!
Currently in the mid-Hudson Valley in NY but soon returning to my little house down a dirt road in the woods of Southern Oregon !💜Deb
Suleika, Between Two Kingdoms is how I discovered you, and I'm so grateful to "know" you, even from the distance of the Internet (and your book). I have read many books filled with other people's brave explorations, and probably live vicariously through them as I cannot travel myself, but they inspire me to push the boundaries I can. Your words encouraged me find courage in this in-between place I'm in right now. I have felt like I'm in limbo and can't move ahead until I find out about the next medical "thing," but you reminded me why that's not true and how important it is to live in the moment (again...I keep forgetting). I'm going to be pre-ordering Tom's book. I read all of Jedidiah Jenkin's parents books on their walk across America, and his book "To Shake the Sleeping Self." I'm looking forward to more.
My Younger Self...I had to be the one to physically leave each of my three "live in" relationships. This last one, my longest at 20 years, was the most difficult ever. My mantra (oh, along with my weekly therapy, meds to tamp down life long my anxiety travel companion and yoga): "I have done this before and I can do it again." My therapist, upon hearing that I finally made the jump to freedom last week called me The Bold Mover. Thank you, Younger Self, for blazing the trail.
Hurrah, Mary!!! Setting a trail for your own daughter.
Back in 2008, I was on a business trip that took me to Tupelo, Mississippi. I had built a couple of extra days into my schedule, thinking I’d spend them in
Memphis (about 90 minutes northwest). Hearing that I loved music, one of my hosts suggested
I explore the Mississippi Blues Trail, which was in its infancy. It takes you through the Delta, visiting places that are significant in the history of the Blues. To this Michigan girl, the scenery and the relationship of the land and the water were revelations. I only scratched the surface and I’d go back in a heart beat. https://msbluestrail.org/
I want to flow like paint
Mixed with sand.
Thanks Suleika.
Thanks Tom.
🕊🕊✍️
These entries gave me goosebumps. So much to think about. I'm having a cup of coffee on my couch, with my own dog snuggled up in my lap, and my mind is contemplating...❤️
I was just remembering your book Between Two Kingdoms today and so glad that you have recommended here also Tom Turcich's new book. Will look forward to it.
Your kindness and courage in everything you do it gives all of us so much hope. Thank you so much.
Hello, I have been and am a solo traveler-roads are different or not at all-- it began with books. I was probably a junior in high school, working in a theater that took 3 busses to arrive. Ater the show I sat in a bar while the actors drank and then drove me home. I sometimes climbed in the window because the door was locked.
I came upon a book called The Asiatics-- and it spoke to me desire to walk around the globe-starting in Pakistan. The simple story is of a young man with no particular description and he was in Lebanon and began the travels looking for answers which of course were ambiguous -I read this book many times Andre Gide wrote the introduction -so - I found Gide-- I learned the author Frederic Proksch had not traveled at all-his imagination did-- and so I learned miles counted for nothing if eyes were closed.
And then I found Orlando --yes Virginia Woolf - and Orlando-- be as you be-- and so I continue to travel either different roads--walking the dog on Delancy--North Vietnam close to Russia--and somehow have never been drawn to cars of public transportation---still footing it.
Good morning, Susu! Thank you for all the wise and wonderful guidance you bring as an artist to this wild world of unknowns. Your writing and be-ing shine so bright and the call to adventure is heard and embraced here too. Each day in small ways I head out not knowing what events may transpire. I’m here in the Carolinas listening to Eva Cassidy’s blues album and tree watching. If someone had told me at 55 I would drive from the Midwest through the Smokies in the rain under a full moon I never would have dreamed it possible. Yet, here I am. Let’s see what the moment brings? Super honored for this interwebs friendship. And, of course, adventures are even better with a dog. Woof! PS My Mom left Prairietown, Illinois for NY and Chicago. Can you imagine? My Aunt Tootsie signed up for the Women’s Army Corps and went to the Philippines during WWII. My grandmother, an Uptown Girl, married the working class glass blower and farmer at 16. These adventures of the heart make life even more rich when planted in soil of stories we’ve yet to tell and lands of being we’ve yet to experience. Though I haven’t traveled by plane in years, each day holds new possibilities some mundane and some more extraordinary than even this dreamer poet can weave. Love you so much, Suleika, (Jon too and the wolf pack) and Carmen and Holly too. “When we walked in fields of gold”…—Eva Cassidy
PS thank you, Tom. Pre-ordered your adventure book!