As some would say, “You can’t stop the wave, but you can learn how to surf.” Thousands of people around the world dive into the ocean blue and paddle out on their surfboards to catch the ride of their lives – every day! Teams were formed in twenty-four countries to compete in the International Surfing Association World Championship. 

Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  While most of the world is sitting around waiting for change to come, few people are going out to change it themselves. Thoughts soar through people’s heads, stopping them from making the change.

Several years ago I wrote a travel guide to Michigan’s Thumb. The subtitle was Exploring a Shoreline of Small Pleasures and Unexpected Treasures. The book was my stop-and-smell-the-roses project. I detailed few traditional tourist traps, no rollercoaster kinds of thrills, and no bigger than life resorts.

A staple of Jamaican barbecue, when I first sampled jerk chicken in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I expected a combination of tropical flavors like pineapple and coconut with hints of teriyaki. Instead, jerk seasoning tastes more like a collision of Christmas with undercurrents of Mexican and Cuban cooking and a blast of heat.