Prisoner of Hopes

Category: Hardships

  • Tromso Love Is True, But I Hate Their Airport: Travel Goals Norway

    Tromso Love Is True, But I Hate Their Airport: Travel Goals Norway

    I mention in each travel day post that I dislike air travel. It feels chaotic and uncivil in ways other forms of transport avoid. Each airport and airline has its own system that you can’t possibly know about if you have not been there before. Sometimes your experience is extremely different due to the people…

  • The Struggle: Travel Goals Norway

    The Struggle: Travel Goals Norway

    Excitement is high as we land in Tromso, Norway. It is beautiful. Mountains and fjords merge together under a cloudy sky. Dramatic is the only word to describe the landscape. Here we disembark. We wait impatiently for others to leave the ship. Many only have a few hours to experience Tromso and we will stay…

  • Into the Arctic: Travel Goals Norway

    Into the Arctic: Travel Goals Norway

    I wake up quite early and realize it has been snowing throughout the night. Steady sleet pounds the windows and I smile. Just as dawn breaks, I emerge onto the upper deck. Today we cross the artic circle and venture far beyond. We entered the boat in Bergen and will not disembark completely until Tromso.…

  • Trondheim Pilgrimage to Nidaros: Travel Goals

    Trondheim Pilgrimage to Nidaros: Travel Goals

    We dock in the cold, cold rain. Coming down the gangway, the wind blows water into our faces. My husband struggles into his rain suit while I wrestle with my umbrella. We try to follow directions to exit the docks into the town. In the blowing rain, it is unclear which way to go, so…

  • The Nation of Immigration: Educating for Sanity

    The Nation of Immigration: Educating for Sanity

    So much discussion, attention, and emotion…. Immigration talk has flooded our media sources, emerging as an American campaign issue in 2016 and again in 2024. Let’s move beyond the rhetoric and attempt to understand the topic more deeply, starting with basic definitions. An immigrant is someone who moves permanently to live and work in a…

  • My Toes Are Cold

    My Toes Are Cold

    As I sit and watch the snow outside my window, my toes are cold. But my coffee is warm. I have central heating in my house and a blanket on the arm of my chair. My toes are cold, but they don’t have to be. Down the hall, I have a warm bed which I…

  • Information Warfare: Educating for Sanity

    Information Warfare: Educating for Sanity

    Since the history of warfare began, military’s have sought to gain advantage over their opponents. This has been done through both physical and psychological attack. With the advent of the internet, opportunities for attack are infinite. Physically attacks (known as cyberattacks) can cripple a business or industry. But information wars are designed to destroy the…

  • Empathy: Educating for Sanity

    Empathy: Educating for Sanity

    It has been a hard ten days. The turmoil in this country, the barrage of executive orders, the anger and accusation is exhausting. To be clear, I reject bigotry of all forms. I am saddened by the targeted attacks on public servants and the incivility on display by government officials. Most of all, I am…

  • It Is Messy Sometimes

    It Is Messy Sometimes

    Today, while waiting for a Dr.’s appointment, I saw a funeral notice and tribute for a former professor/ church leader. As I saw the texts of support and accolades, I was instead taken back to a major life lesson he delivered. I was a freshman in college and enrolled in a psychology with professor “b”.…

  • Between a Rock and a Foggy Place: Travel Goals Italy

    Between a Rock and a Foggy Place: Travel Goals Italy

    It is still raining in Lesa. We head to Varese where there are a few indoor museums. The weather there should be clear and we will be able to visit the Sacred Mountain of Varese. We head out and the rain stops as we get farther down the road. It is looking pretty good, until…