-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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According to Wikipedia, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803– 1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society, and his ideology was disseminated through dozens of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States.
Our guide for this trip (OAT now calls them Trip Experience Leaders) was a young Croatian woman named Bruna. Her English was impeccable, her knowledge was deep, her people management skills were excellent, and she was always thoroughly prepared. Bruna was the embodiment of the maxim that women have to be twice as good, twice as prepared, to be equal. And yet, one of our fellow travelers (a retired professional woman!) remarked that Bruna was so cute... Bruna was indeed very attractive, but cute? Argh! We've come a long way baby, but we still have a long way to go.
In 2006, Jim and I decided to plan a European trip for our 35th anniversary. We took advantage of an offer from non-defunct Northwest Airlines to fly cheaply between European cities, so we picked three. I'd been traveling internationally for business for a few years and had a couple favorites that I really wanted Jim to see -- Prague and Stockholm. I also wanted a new city and country, so Budapest was our third entry. At the time, venturing to Eastern Europe felt daring and exotic. And Hungary felt infused with a romantic mystique, perhaps because strains of Dvorak floated through my head.
I therefore offer a vow for 2023:
I will try not to say “skill set” when I mean skills. Or “optics” unless I’m talking about how a camera works. Or “granular” unless its sand or salt. I will try not to call a 5-minute radio story a “deep dive” unless it’s about scuba diving. I won’t say “unpack” unless it’s in reference to a suitcase, or “price point” when I just mean what something costs, or “baked in” unless it’s a chocolate chip cookie. I won’t say “inflection point” when I mean a change in direction, or “curate” when I just mean put together. I won’t say “end of the day” until 6 p.m. And I’ll try not to call almost any group of people with something in common a “community” — Merriam-Webster: People with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society — unless, of course, they’re actually living together, or at least close by.
-- Scott Simon
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Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy. -- From NPR Bio page.
-- James Clear
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James Clear is a widely respected speaker and writer who focuses on habits and self-improvement. His best-selling book Atomic Habits has sold over 5 million copies.
But you can renovate it.
If you can only pick one habit to build, exercise might be the one. Everything is downstream from how your body is functioning.
-- James Clear
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James Clear is a widely respected speaker and writer who focuses on habits and self-improvement. His best-selling book Atomic Habits has sold over 5 million copies.
-- Wallace Stevens
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According to the Poetry Foundation, Wallace Stevens (1879 - 1955) is one of America’s most respected 20th century poets. He was a master stylist, employing an extraordinary vocabulary and a rigorous precision in crafting his poems. But he was also a philosopher of aesthetics, vigorously exploring the notion of poetry as the supreme fusion of the creative imagination and objective reality.
