Vacation by the Numbers - ICYMI - Sneak Peak

Monday's Butterfly Quote:

I only ask to be free. The butterflies are free. -Charles Dickens

Steve's STORY: Vacation by the Numbers

We are finally back home after gallivanting along the East Coast for two weeks. By the numbers:

• 199.9K Steps I logged during our two week trip.

• 1,000 Miles driven.

• 45 Minutes it took to find parking in Brooklyn…TWICE.

• 16 Relatives with whom we shared stories and meals along the way!

• 8 States visited plus DC.

Fresh cream with local strawberries frozen and rolled up in Philly. Delicious!

• 5 Ice Cream visits, including fresh, rolled ice cream in Philly, scrumptious liquid nitrogen-frozen ice cream in VA, and Nutter’s huge portions for about $2.50 in WV.

• 4 Amazing performances seen (my son’s vocal performance, my daughter’s off-Broadway show “A Strange Loop”, “Frozen”, and a new play at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, a summer stock event in WV.

• 3 Universities toured as my son begins his college search.

• 3 Amazing Art Galleries/Museums visited including Artec (DC), Philadelphia Museum of Art, and American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore)

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• 2 BIG BUS tours during the heat wave – frying on the top in Philly and baking on the bottom in DC.

• 1 Number of tumbles while running the streets of Philly, scraping up 1 knee, 1 elbow, and 1 cell phone (which thankfully took the worst of it).

• 0 pieces of gum chewed. For those who know me, that's close to a miracle. My chewing gum addiction had reached 20 pieces a day. But after kicking so many habits over the past several years, I was determined to break this one as well...and besides, I forgot to stock up before the trip so I had a head start!

We made lots of memories and are exhausted. I’m quickly getting back into routines of exercise, writing, reading, and resting.

EXTRA, EXTRA – read all about it!

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Monday BLOG: the latest on my personal journey, an inspirational word from our friendly butterfly mascot, and a few words from readers like you

Thursday BLOG: a different perspective on life as an introvert throughout the month

1st Thursday: Leisure Learning

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ICYMI- In Case You Missed It

INTROVERTLink of the Week: 17 Graphs That Are Way Too Real For Introverts (7/18)

By Anna Borges / BuzzFeed

https://www.buzzfeed.com/annaborges/brb-im-introverting?utm_term=.yl4ab6eoX

What a great article. It’s pretty hard to combine graphs and humor into an insightful article, but Anna Borges does an excellent job. The article crisply represents the introvert’s perspective and at the same time dispels some of the myths about introverts. I think each one is spot on…for me anyway. I especially like #8 The struggles of Resting Bitch Face: Why Your Face Looks Like That! Take a look.

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Sneak PEAK

As a sneak preview, this Thursday’s blog will focus on writing, a traditionally very introverted hobby and profession. As noted in our INTROVERTLink this Thursday, writing is often a peaceful, freeing experience for introverts. I am finding it to be just that for me. So Thursday’s blog is about how my writing journey evolved from a young kid to a graying adult. I’ll share some of my top tips for those introverts (and others) that may need a little nudge to begin your own writing voyage.

You will also have a chance to VOTE for the back cover blurb for my memoir due out in March 2020! Don’t miss the fun.

FeedBACK welcome via Facebook, LinkedIn, or email

Thanks to all the new viewers and subscribers! I’ve received some great comments these first couple of weeks:

• “I am introverted, and it was a struggle during my years [at work]. Also, I see some of those traits in my grandson, so learning all I can will help both of us.”

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