Pre-Ramble: A rainy day in NYC makes negotiating the sidewalk scene even more of a challenge; umbrellas and puddles necessitate a lot of bobbing and weaving.

Heading up Madison Avenue, around 60^th Street or so, I end up walking on the heels of this quirkily dressed guy, darting across against the light. Mid-street, Quirky Guy, whom I have named Wile E. for reasons which will become clear shortly, glances back at me over the top of his thick, hip, black glasses (think Elvis Costello, but less intentionally nerdy) to conspiratorially declare that we were being “very risky” … To which I replied, “We’re going to be flattened … like Wile E. Coyote … “

He smirked and slowed his pace to engage further. We walk a few more blocks, each under our respective umbrellas, chatting about stupid stuff … the weather … anvils (not really, but I wish I would have interjected that) … and he asks where I’m from. When I say Minnesota, he says, “Oh, yes, you’ve got that Midwest accent … “ then adds, “Like Fargo!” I roll my eyes in my mind and reply, “Yup, like Fargo …” (Note: People from the northern Midwest states should get a royalty of some kind every time somebody invokes the movie Fargo within a 25 foot radius of our person.)

We briefly discuss Frances McDormand’s career and then I ask, “So, where are you from?” Wile smugly states that he is from “L.A. … “ …. “Ah,” I say, trying to muster up a little energy around my bad attitude toward the shallow, sprawling metropolis that is Los Angeles.

Wishing to shift the topic, I quickly ask, “So, what do you do?”  “Hairdresser,” he shoots back, flashing a curious grin. “Oh,” I say, … “Great, …” (While really thinking, “NOT great,” … doing a quick scan of my lame headband and ponytail) …  I continue, “What brings you to New York?” He answers, “Workin’ on a movie,” (more smugness).  “Oh,” I perk up, … “What movie?”  He says a movie title that has “bad” and “bosses” in it, which registers some flicker of familiarity, … I think I’ve seen the preview … something silly and a little smutty … but I can’t place who’s in it … maybe it’s Cameron Diaz … maybe Jennifer Aniston …maybe one of those other young-ish, blonde actresses …   Rather than conjecture further, I ask, “So, who’s hair do you do?”

“The actress who is in the movie,” is the coy response. I give him a look, and he instantly volunteers, “Jennifer Aniston …” then pauses for my response.

I raise my eyebrows and affirm his statement with the proper level of shock and awe … “Oh, wow, … Jennifer Aniston”… “She has great hair … “ …    (In all deference to Wile’s work, I’m thinking, “So, what, … you like blow it dry and straighten it, maybe?”)  Actually, I might have said that out loud, because he shoots back with, “Oh, my god, you need to blah, blah, blah with mousse on the roots, and blow it to blah, blah, blah, and weave the color, blah, blah … “  I understand his need to justify this, and acknowledge that Ms. Aniston’s hair (shown above) is “iconic” and “always looks remarkable” ….

As we move up the street, Wile regroups from my underwhelming response and points out a ruffly taupe trench coat in a shop front window. More stating than asking he notes, “Isn’t that stunning? …. Just stunning!”  I reply that while it is indeed stunning, it would look ridiculous in Minnesota.  He chastises me with a few remarks about how it’s all attitude and personal style (has the guy ever actually BEEN in a mall?) … A few short blocks later, Wile reaches his destination (Fred Leighton – sooo Hollywood) and bids me a good rest of my visit to New York. I wish him well in return and continue to splash my way uptown.

Later that night, I’m mucking around online and decide to check into Wile’s backstory to see whether all that Jennifer Aniston/movies talk was just a load of crap. And, let me just say, that even if he wasn’t legit, he should win an award for “Most Convincing Hairdresser to the Stars Impersonation Ever.”

Shut up! So, before I can finish typing the second “s” in “hairdresser,” up pops Wile’s mug along with a bunch of press shots of Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Cruz and Victoria Beckham. Apparently, not only is Wile a hairdresser, he is a very well-known hairdresser – with his own line of products and a namesake salon in Beverly Hills. Wile is a.k.a. Chris McMillan (shown below) … long-time good friend and part of Aniston’s “entourage.”

Clearly, I am not up on my True Hollywood Story, and must have been a tremendous source of frustration for my Mr. Hairdresser to the Stars. (Thought starter: If some random gal from the Midwest doesn’t recognize you on the street, or worse, not know who you are after a quick bio, are you actually the hot shot you think you are?)

Actually, in spite of the fact that I didn’t know he was such a big deal, Wile was a great chat and I really enjoyed spending a few blocks shooting the breeze with him. My only regret was that, in all my obliviousness, I didn’t ask if he was free to do a little cut and color on my desperately-in-need tresses.

Wile! Baby! … if you’re still in town, I promise I’ll be more sycophantic if you could give me a quick Hollywood “do” to take back to “Fargo.”  If I like it, you can be part of my entourage too.

Pre-Ramble:

Phew!! …. I’d love to be blogging about how great New York is and all of the fun we’ve been having setting up shop in the sublet apartment, finding the nearest grocery store and practicing riding the subway, but all I can think about at the moment is, “Man, do my feet hurt … !”

Seriously, I was wearing what I thought were the most comfy, versatile, stylish, FLAT shoes on the planet (not them at right), but clearly, if the blistered pulp that is the bottoms of my feet are any indication,  I was sorely mistaken.

On the face of it, this painful condition could be considered a problem. However, as one who likes to walk on the sunny side of life, I prefer to see it as an opportunity — I am going to need to get myself a new pair of shoes!

Have we got a shoe for you! And, if a gal is in the market for some new shoes, the Big Apple is a great place to look. As home to Sex in the City’s Carrie Bradshaw, NYC has shoes of every imaginable shape, style and price point including strappy little beauties by designers Jimmy Choo, Christain Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik.

I’m sure these are lovely shoes, however, after my experience of the last two days, I’m going to need a pair that can stand up to some serious street walking. (Not THAT kind of street walking.)  I can’t be pounding the pavement and dodging cabs while teetering en pointe …

The Take-Away: Well, whatever I end up with, I assure you it won’t be the footwear we saw at the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this afternoon.  The brilliantly disturbed, now deceased designer came up with what he called the “armadillo shoe” (shown above) … A sculptural, but virtually unwearable contortion that makes the ends of his subjects legs (where  feet would normally go) look like elaborate, clunky, other-worldly hooves.

Alexander was a very creative guy, but “crippled Dasypodidae” isn’t quite the look I’m going for.  Do you have anything in a ”sensible, sturdy” size 8M?

Pre-Ramble:

By way of background, a group of us went for a golf weekend at the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Wisconsin (shown at right).  One of the most “challenging, expansive and elegant golf destinations in the world … site of the 2004 PGA Championship“  … blah, blah … “Sculpted out of rugged, windswept terrain along the western shore of Lake Michigan … “ … Suffice it to say that the course was well-designed, tough and full of surprises.

Houston, we have a problem. I totally had no business being out there.  I have played 18 holes maybe 3 times in my life, at courses that were nowhere near as challenging as this. Seriously, when I stepped onto the first tee-box I thought I was looking at the lunar surface … Grassy mounds as far as the eye could see, punctuated by clusters of sand traps that can only be described as evil. I’m not even going to talk about the series of holes that clung to the edge of Lake Michigan … basically, one continuous water hazard.

If I hadn’t been with some very good friends (and wearing a brand new golf outfit), I would have run from the course screaming faster than my husband could say “That’s another quadruple-bogie for you, Honey …” I knew, however, that in order to feel good about life, I needed to get out there and give it a go; no matter what. I was resigned to my fate … I had to play that round … and then …

Enter, … the Caddie.

OMG – where has this service sector been all my life?? Up until this point, I had always thought that a caddie was some young punk you paid to snicker during your backswing. Technically, …

“… a caddy (or caddie) is the person who carries a player’s bag and clubs, and gives insightful advice and moral support. A good caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. This includes knowing overall yardage, pin placements and club selection.”

Well, hello; come to mama!! Turns out that the caddie assigned to my friend and I was the golf equivalent of Richard Gere in American Gigolo. He was amazing (in his appointed golf duties, I mean). He not only carried our bags, cleaned our clubs and provided pertinent yardage to the holes, he also gave invaluable off-hand advice on how and where to hit each shot, and just the right amount of moral support to mitigate ”errant events.”

This guy was a professional. Part butler, coach, trainer, shrink and fairy-god-mother, he knew every inch of that golf course and had enough social awareness to maintain a conversation with anyone about nearly any topic. He was steady, proactive and resourceful. The proper club always magically appeared in his outstretched hand, and among other feats, I swear I saw him rappelling down into a snake pit to fetch my ball.

Even though we were playing on a super tough course … in the driving rain (my shoes were so drenched that I had to buy another pair to play the next day), this round was easily the best of my life. I attribute my level of enjoyment and upgraded level of play directly to the caddie’s attentiveness to the strategic and administrative aspects of the game, which then freed up my mind to focus on the singular task at hand.

The Take-Away: How much more effective would we all be in our appointed rounds if we had a way to off-load the barrage of extraneous activity running in the “background” of our brains?  Simplification and organization are two strategies that can foster a more fluid state of focus, and then, what I’m thinking would really be helpful is to have a life caddie.  … Somebody to attend to the minutiae of the day, … cooking, gardening, grocery shopping, house-keeping, laundry, fixing random stuff, listening, advising, suggesting … waiting around to see if anything needs fetching …

How awesome would this be??  And, it would free me up to focus on other stuff … thinking brilliant thoughts or reading obscure books, … or busting open that big blank canvas and painting a masterpiece … Or, maybe actually learning how to golf …

Pre:Ramble:

Created by a company called GoPro, these water-tight digital cameras are about the size of a deck of cards and weigh just six ounces.  ”Hero Cameras” as they are called, start at $260 for a version that shoots high-quality, high-definition video.  GoPro’s founder and CEO, surfer Nick Woodman, describes the product’s appeal … 

“A big part of the [product's] appeal is that people can pivot the cameras to be aimed at themselves while they’re surfing or doing some other activity and easily share them on Facebook or YouTube … a huge enabler for that type of ego satisfaction.”

I’m sure the images taken from such unique perspectives are amazing. In still shots of Mr. Woodman riding the surf in a challenging, splashy, outdoor environment, the sense of immediacy is nearly disorienting.   (Actually, the placement of the camera in one of the photos makes Woodman’s palm and big toe look disproportionally large … an effect which is likely less apparent when the whole intrepid scene is in motion.)

Holy Monkey-Cam – David Letterman is probably a big GoPro customer … using the versatile units for his snarky hidden camera bits.  And speaking of bits, GoPro cameras have also been popular with wildlife photographers.  The rugged design and comparatively low cost have made them the go-to technology for getting “bite-shots” — scenes from inside the mouths of fierce critters like seals, sharks, polar bears and alligators. 

The GoPro line was initially sold in surf shops, motorcycle stores and sporting goods outlets … Soon they’ll be available at a Best Buy near you!

The Take-Away:  Great! I’m sure I can find some novel household uses for my very own GoPro camera … maybe I can clip it to a random sock in the laundry hamper and see where it ends up. 

Pre-Ramble:

Huh?  … All those years of Latin for naught?! I could deduce from the placement of the term at the beginning and end of each daily session that these sessions were likely some kind of overview or wrap-up to the day’s events … and maybe “plen” was a close cousin of “plan,” … But the exact definition of “plenary” was still foggy. Wikipedia to the rescue – corroborating the general assumptions …

Plenary session is a term often used in conferences to define the part of the conference when all members of all parties are to attend. These sessions may contain a broad range of content from keynotes to panel discussions and are not necessarily related to a specific style of delivery. The term has been used in the teaching profession to describe when information is summarized. This often encourages class participation.

Good. Neat. Yep …  this is pretty much what went on in all those pre-plenary and post-plenary sessions. I had no problem with it. In fact, I have come to like the terminology and, like a 3rd grader who has learned a new word, use it whenever possible. (Plenary, plenary, plenary.)

So, the conference.  Project Zero, the host of the 3-day event, describes itself as, “an educational research group at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University,” the mission of which is to “understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional levels.” 

To enhance your understanding on that — the basic premise of Project Zero is to foster effective teaching and learning by using a set of simple “thinking routines.”  Thinking and the process of discovery can be made more “visible and knowable” by using a specific line of inquiry around, “seeing, thinking and wondering”  to engage students and reveal a “bigger picture.”  This learning model presents students with a problem or issue — a piece of artwork, science experiment, or even a math problem – and then prompts them to audibly answer the questions, “What do you see?” (just the facts) …. “What do you think?” (reasoning around the problem) …. and, ”What do you wonder?” (what questions come up for you about this).  Course materials describe the dynamic …

“Thinking has generally been invisible or done in isolation … the visible parts were only seen on tests and quizzes, by which time it [is likely] too late to make a mid-course correction … Thinking routines empower all the students, supporting differentiated instruction as each student gets to respond at his or her level of understanding … sometimes concrete thinking, sometimes abstract … nevertheless, students get to see the different ways of interpretation of the same concept, reflect on their thinking, learn from each other, and ultimately deepen their understanding.”

The Take-Away:  True to mission, the conference itself was a blend of big room lectures and small group discussions, each based on both broad lofty topics and focused concrete experiences. Over the course of the next few blog posts, I would like to share other aspects of the conference including the outstanding keynote speakers, the exceptional learning venues provided by the National Gallery and the Washington International School, and the vibrant overarching energy imparted by the greater Washington D.C. environment.

After that, we will have a closing Plenary Session.

Pre-Ramble:

Carnival president and CEO, Gerry Cahill commended passengers for their patience and fortitude and promised a full refund and a percentage off on a future Carnival cruise package to each person affected by the incident. In the meanwhile, he assured them that he would see to it that everything possible was being done to mitigate their circumstances. I’m sorry, but live music (two guys with guitars?), blackjack tournaments and trivia contests are no substitute for electricity, running water and decent food. (Without 24/7 buffets, what’s the point of a cruise anyway?)

Well, so, good, … they’re doing everything they can, … blah, … blah, … And here comes the USS Reagan loaded down with 60,000+ pounds of food and supplies. Hooray!! Yay!!! … Phew … we were all getting pretty hungry here …… Thank goodness for the emergency rations which include Pop Tarts, croissants (ooh-la-la), crabmeat, and SPAM. 

Wait. SPAM?!?  I’m sorry. Is that fourth word in the series S-P-A-M?  Is this one of those insidious word association games or did someone air-lift 60,000 pounds of SPAM into that already god-forsaken situation?? 

…. So, the ship was out of food, and of all the edible substances on the face of the Earth, someone in the upper levels of management in the Carnival organization made the executive decision to send in SPAM?  … What, were they all out of …. Well, shoot! … The punch line here would be … “were they all out of SPAM?!”

Jus’ sayin – Even the Chilean miners got Albacore tuna and power bars.

No offense intended toward Hormel, the Minnesota company that actually makes the canned “meat” product. They have admirably continued to evolve and embrace their brand identity over the years. Did you know that there is a SPAM Museum, a SPAM Fan Club (“… an exciting club unlike any other…“), a SPAM Office Products division, and a SPAM recipe exchange?  

Souvenirs - The SPAM gift ideas are truly inspired … refrigerator magnets, baseball caps, stadium cups (SPAM smoothie anyone?), luggage tags (particularly appropriate for this gig), and shot glasses (shown above). Let’s hope the air-freight contained some shot-worthy beverages as well.

The Take-Away:  Cheers to the swift and safe return of this boatload of passengers. As Mr. Cahill suggests, “[These folks] will have many memorable stories to tell at dinner parties for the rest of their lives.”  (I’m guessing that Mr. Cahill is going to have his own line of lively banter — in addition to being pelted with SPAM cans, Gerry is also going to be hit with some pretty meaty lawsuits.)

Post-Note: Just in time for the holidays — For a delicious Baked Apples with SPAM Streusel recipe, click here. (WARNING: recipe includes a photo.)

Pre-Ramble:

Recently, Jules went on an artist’s retreat at a place called Catherine’s Vineyard (excellent name, I thought), a ridiculously picturesque piece of property in California wine country. Among her photos of the beautiful rolling hills and robust piles of grapes, is a shot of her standing up in a tree (shown right). 

How cool is that?!? 

When was the last time you climbed a tree??  People who climb trees aren’t in any hurry.  They’re usually strolling around outside, … in a contemplative mode … They notice birds and bugs and clouds and stuff.  At some point, people who climb trees see an opportunity, … go over, … swing their leg up onto a low-hanging branch, … and climb up. 

The Take-Away: Climbing a tree is the perfect metaphor for trying something new, … seeing things from a new perspective, … or doing something in the moment, … just because.  This is a stance I would like to take way more often in both my personal and professional life. 

Climbing a tree is a great way to shake things up … In fact, I’ll go out on a limb here and suggest that all grown-ups should have a picture of themselves in a tree.

Post-Note:  Thanks Jules, for the inspiration!  Next chance I get, I’m going to climb a tree, and I’ll post a “proof-of” pic right here. 

(Reader Challenge: Send me a photo of you in a tree, and I’ll post that too!)

Pre-Ramble:

Cut to the MIT Media Lab, a covey of designers, engineers, artists and scientists who conduct a staggeringly broad array of research around “the impact of emerging technologies on everyday life.” 

Tucked into the academic mêlée that is Boston, this hotbed of geeks and geniuses established in 1980 by Professor Nicholas Negroponte and former MIT President and Science Advisor to President John F. Kennedy, Jerome Wiesner, has developed new approaches to physical and social “human adaptability,” cognition and learning, and merging our physical world with digital technology. In this unique culture of “learning by doing” …  

… researchers develop new technologies that  ”empower people of all ages, from all walks of life, in all societies, to design and invent new possibilities for themselves and their communities … future-obsessed product designers, nanotechnologists, data-visualization experts, industry researchers, and pioneers of computer interfaces work side by side to tirelessly invent—and reinvent—how humans experience, and can be aided by, technology.”

Part of the point here is, “Wow – look at all the neat stuff these guys are working on!” … The other, more important message is that there is so much to know and do and experience “out there” in the world, that you might want to seize this opportunity to strap on your backpack and look to the cool productive air of fall to redirect your energy around some new exciting and enriching experiences.

The Take-Away: Hey – if not now, when? … Conduct your own inquiry into the things that are most intriguing to you. One place to kick-start your process might be to look into the Lab’s “Lifelong Kindergarten” project. Here, on a mission to create a more creative society, researchers look at new ways to “engage people in creative learning experiences.”  Go ahead and eat the paste, if you want … In the spirit of ”blocks and fingerpaint,” the group works to expand upon tradition ways of thinking, ultimately to incite “a world full of playfully creative people, who are constantly inventing new possibilities for themselves and their communities.” 

Class is in session!!

Pre-Ramble:

Camping …  you know … dragging a tent, musty sleeping bags, a flashlight and all of your food to a remote location and dumping it onto a clearing in the woods. You spread it all out like you’re playing house and then sit around on a log until the ”wildlife” can divine your location. 

The people who enjoy camping are the same people who jump at fishing and canoeing and hunting and hiking … the out-doorsy folks who have a knack for gathering sticks, reading maps and tying knots. These people use the racks on the tops of their cars.

According to National Park Service statistics, 5.4 million people camped last year, 3.1 million of them in traditional tents and another 2.3 million in RVs. Campers use all kinds of neat outdoor gear … lanterns, canteens, tarps, lots of bungee cords and stuff with netting.  Sure, it all looks real back-to-nature and doable in the retail environment, but you mustn’t lose sight of the fact that being outdoors is a critical part of the camping experience.

Outdoors is a whole nother thing … (you can quote me on that) … there’s dirt, sand, gravel, pointy rocks and picky grass out there. And, there’s nowhere to go to get away from it – except in your tent, which, after ten minutes, also has dirt, sand, gravel and grass in it. And then there are bugs. Bugs love the outdoors and they are everywhere – crawling, circling, buzzing and biting. Unless you’re doused in repellant or zip yourself into your sleeping bag, the bulk of your time will be spent On Patrol, … swinging, swatting, smacking, scratching and bleeding.  Bringing in the added menace of the potential to encounter actual mice, snakes, bats, coyote and bears makes the prospect of the idyllic camping experience simply absurd. 

But, wait!!  A new type of camping has emerged that offers a significantly less rustic experience — glamping.  According to Glamping Girl, an entire website devoted to this travel trend, there’s a whole new way to enjoy the outdoors. A cross between “glamour” and “camping,” glamping brings civilized accoutrements to uncivilized environments.  Glamping is an outdoor experience, often in an exotic location, that integrates cushy, high-end creature comforts like beds, linens, china, chefs, butlers, bathroom facilities, spa staff and cocktails. I bet there’s toilet paper too.

The five-star experience – There are glamping destinations all over the world and a wide variety of living quarters from which to choose … elaborate tents, cliff-side cabins, desert retreats, floating villages, … for example …

• Mille Etoiles offers 14 yurts in the Rhone-Aples region of France overlooking the Ardeche River gorge. Tents are built on oak platforms and furnished with four-poster beds, oriental rugs and antiques… “so guests feel like they are on an Edwardian safari …”
• Montana’s Paws Up Ranch has horseback riding and fly-fishing and accommodations that boast newly built “tents” on the Blackfoot River complete with king-sized beds, art on the walls, a personal butler and private master bath. Rates start at $695 per night for two and include three meals per day.
• Located in a hidden valley 1,000 meters above sea level near two inactive volcanoes in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park, Situgunung is the oldest tourist destination in West Java and a perfect location for glamping.  Along with intrepid (and supervised) outbound activities, glampsite amenities include pre-pitched fire-proof tents, comfortable restrooms and a five-star buffet.

The Take-Away: How about a glamp-out at the Waldorf-Astoria? … take a day-pack into Soho … do a little white-knuckle shopping on Madison Avenue … hunt for vermin on Wall Street … and have close encounters with the wildlife in Times Square.  Throw in some marshmallows, and this is the perfect summer adventure!  Sign me up!

Pre-Ramble:

Details on the trip itself – the specifications of the preparation, the boat, the route, the support systems, and Jessica’s own website and blog – are fascinating … a true adventure, the stuff of the books and movies which are undoubtedly forthcoming.  Here though, I am drawn to the situation from the perspective of a mom. 

I know you think I’m going to rip on Jessica’s parents for letting their sixteen-year-old child – a girl, no less - take such a dangerous, potentially life-threatening journey.  And, you would be right, to a point. Certainly, Watson’s journey has its detractors, …

“Barry Tyler of Pacific Motor Yacht magazine wrote, “like the majority of the seafaring world, I consider it irresponsible, cavalier and indeed ignorant to attempt such a feat, at such a tender age and with so little trans-ocean experience … [and] a more general concern was raised by the Australian Childhood Foundation, who questioned whether a 16-year-old girl would have the ability to fully understand the risks that such a venture would involve.”

Descriptions of the harrowing situations in which Jessica found herself are enough to give anyone pause,

“When south of Australia, Watson suffered a lot of bad weather. In this part of the journey, she had at least three knockdowns (where the mast hit the water), one of them with the mast deep into the sea, … luckily without any real damage or injury. The swells she experienced in the Great Australian Bight were up to 12 meters in height, higher than anytime before.”

Luckily?! And, this doesn’t even go into the part where her navigation system became non-functional and she had to jury-rig some wiring to bring it back … ” … Oh yes, gee-whiz,… so glad those super-big waves that dipped the mast - and half of the boat – into the water out in the middle of the fricking ocean didn’t cause a problem …”  

Clearly, I’m having trouble containing my incredulous sarcasm around some of the metrics here.

Disclaimer:  My parents had a 30 foot sailboat that was the scene of many a family weekend and summer adventure. We raced the boat, named Solar, in an evening series on the Great Lakes and visited marinas up and down the coast of Michigan and Canada, and up into the North Channel. 

Sailing was fun, but it was never my passion or calling. Frankly, I wasn’t a fan of all the spiders who would make their home in the rigging or folds of the sail covers. It may have been a different story though if I had been given my own pink yacht. There certainly is that angle of the significant time and financing required to bring a dream like Jessica’s to reality; accounts of her parents flying overhead in private planes as she reached various milestones, definitely qualify them as resource rich and actual “helicopter parents.”

So, as a mom, with teenage daughters, in prom season, I find myself conflicted. Do I fret over stuff like hemlines and curfews? Or do I save up and flip out over something on another end of the continuum?  Jessica’s journey causes me to question my attitudes about permissiveness and freedom, … guidance and support. What is an appropriate amount of “freedom” for a young person to have? How do we empower young people to reach for big things, while being mindful of what constitutes a foolish, or possibly criminal, level of risk? Is Jessica a hero, or just lucky to be alive? 

The Take-Away:  In spite of these questions and the answers that I would undoubtedly give, there is a part of me that is immensely inspired and proud of what this young woman has done.  Jesscia Watson has challenged herself in an unfathomable way and has “succeeded” in reaching her dream by some combination of pluck, preparation and guardian angels. Through her fantastical journey, Jessica has found a well-spring of strength, resourcefulness and perspective that will serve her for the rest of her life.

“Overall, I feel pretty drained and would kill for some easy sailing, but seeing as that’s not what I’m going to get, I’m just going to have to toughen up some more and deal with it.”

While I hope it doesn’t involve the tremendous level of risk that Jessica has taken in her journey, I wish for the same kind of singular pluck, preparation and resolve for my daughters in theirs.