Thanks Kris,

I am five days away from heading to Canada for a month- very remote horseback riding, MK Wilderness, takes hours by plane and boat to get there. My kind of life.

Most folks don’t really know what I do, Kris. Seems like when I write about it I get a fair number of angry darts from folks who say I’m bragging. I find that very sad, because the people who informed my life have also lived out loud. By virtue of their courage, their willingness to sacrifice home and comfort and safety, they give me implicit permission to do the same. Such a life costs dearly. If I didn’t know those stories, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. In 2017, REI interviewed a number of young women and found out most of them said that they had no mentors, no examples of older women living an out-loud life. I could respond that they aren’t looking hard enough or in the right places- let’s be fair, here, many of those very women did what they did long before social media- so part of it falls on the women themselves. They aren’t going to find most of us Boomers who are banging out a life spending tons of time promoting ourselves online. I don’t even have a Facebook or Instagram account and I am considering canning Linked In for many of the same reasons. We most certainly exist. I would posit that most women my age who are out doing interesting things aren’t doing them for eyeballs. We’re doing it because it’s what we love.

I love what you write about love. As much as it pisses me off, gets me where I live and annoys the holy shit out of me because it’s so fucking true, I love it. There is a level of brutal force in your words that I find so refreshing. If we’re not willing to challenge the lies we tell ourselves and each other, then we aren’t going to have love. I haven’t yet. Haven’t given up, but let’s just say that I have other priorities at the moment. I am off to Mongolia for five weeks of home stays and adventures in fall, and back to Africa in February.

Thanks for your comments.