It's funny how the things in life that change us the most are also the ones that happen completely by surprise. The picture above is of me and some of the crew from my college bookstore, about a month before I got fired. That's me hiding on the right in the back row. If you had asked me on this day, I would have told you that I planned to run this bookstore forever, if I could. After I left, the store played musical managers for a couple years and then sold out to Barnes and Noble. I guess I was a hard act to follow.
This sounds like a sad story, doesn’t it? Well, actually, running that bookstore is one of my best life memories and getting fired was one of the most fortunate things that ever happened to me. I was at a place in my life where I was dying to travel and once I was assured of getting my severance and unemployment; travel I did, and in a big way.
I left that job in March of 1997. I spent a month researching the British Isles on the Internet. I fell in love with the Standing Stones of Callanish on the Isle of Lewis way out on the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. This became my first travel goal. My second travel goal became meeting people on the Internet with whom I could stay while I was traveling in Scotland. I met several wonderful folks this way and spent time with all of them during my travels. There’s nothing like a local for a tour guide.
I have already told the story of my first steps out of the USA and into Iceland on my way to Scotland. In my second adventure, I will show you around Aberdeen, Stonehaven, Inverbervie and other spots in northeast Scotland escorted by my new friend John. I also made a trip to Arbroath Abbey.
See you in Scotland!
No comments:
Post a Comment