Thanks so much to Heart to Heart for the Sunshine Blogger Award nomination. I recently discovered this blog and have particularly enjoyed the photos I’ve seen there. I enjoy reading everyone else’s answers and it’s fun to contribute my own. The questions are always about things I wouldn’t think to talk about on my own. So without further ado…

Here are the rules.

• Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to them.
• Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
• Nominate 11 other bloggers and ask them 11 new questions. (Note: Not everyone is happy to receive these nominations so I leave it up to you, dear readers, to feel more than free to answer the questions and link back here, or answer the ones you like in the comments below)
• Notify the nominees by commenting on one of their blog posts.
• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo on your post.

These are the questions I was asked:

1) What is your immediate goal in life?

My most immediate goal? It’s to get up and get another cup of coffee, of course!

And now that I successfully accomplished that, let me answer this question properly. At the moment there’s been a big change in my life. The job I’ve had for fourteen years will be ending in just a couple of months. I’m not worried about employment – I already have a plan for that. But it’s actually given me an opportunity to look at my life and rearrange it in terms of what I actually want to do. I will have more schedule flexibility and may be able to work a bit less than I did before. In many ways the options will look more like my work life was back when we lived in the yurt. So at the moment I am challenged by figuring out just what that life will look like. Will I do more travel and travel writing? Hopefully. Will I volunteer more? So at the moment I have a bunch of nebulous ideas about what my life will look like in 2019 and beyond. The goal I have now is to turn those indefinite ideas in to short and long term goals, projects, and tasks that I can start working toward.

2) What do you appreciate the most in life?

Growing up in my family, particularly during my teenage years, there was a lot of drama, particularly between and from my parents. As a result, I really appreciate peace. Of course I appreciate it in the big picture sense – read: world peace, freedom from war. But I also like peace in terms of just simply getting along with the people I spend time with. I don’t have a great deal of tolerance for conflict so I work to resolve any conflicts that enter my life.

3) What’s the reason you started blogging?

I like sharing stories, but more than that I want to share stories that hopefully inspire others to pursue the things they’re interested in. I hope that when I write, a reader thinks “Oh, he just went and did that. Maybe I could do that thing I’m interested in, too.” That isn’t to say I necessarily want people to move to a yurt or go on a bicycle tour – but rather to inspire them to take action on their ideas rather than having a wish list they are afraid to try to start.

4) Do you keep grudges?

I don’t keep many, but the few I have seem to hold strong. I think it’s a shortcoming for sure.

5) Do you believe that you can bring about a change in society?

I think everyone can – and they should try. Most major change is not created by special “change makers” but by lots of regular people working together. Sometimes it gets the attention of higher profile people who can help draw attention to the issue or bring resources or money to it but without individuals like ourselves just going out there and working for the changes we want to see, the changes won’t happen.

6) Do you always prefer the easy way out or the logical way?

My tendency is to go the easy way. For example, if it’s late, my impulse was often to just order food to be delivered instead of cooking. The logical thing is to make something simple instead.  So as I get older I aim for the logical way more and more. Sometimes it takes more work in the short term but it saves a lot of grief later.

7) What is your favorite hobby?

Bicycle touring – hands down. The exercise improves my mood immensely, it burns so many calories that I am not only able to eat more, I must eat more, and I see so many interesting things. The faster you travel the fewer people and places you really experience. Think of what you experienced of a country you’ve flown over. You saw that it was green or maybe sandy, or had lots of lakes. If you drove through or took a train, you might’ve seen the faces of people as you passed and met a handful of people. You can see a glimpse of villages and cities as you pass through. But if you are on a bicycle or walking, you’re traveling at a human pace. You notice more things and can easily stop to investigate them further. You can smell the food being cooked in people’s houses as you pass, or hear the laughing of kids playing in the park, and you can talk to people you meet every step of the way. If I had my way I could spend several months a year of my life doing this.

8) What is your biggest fear?

My family means a lot to me so of course I never want anything to happen to them.

9) When was the last time you had a friendly chat with somebody in your neighborhood?

This morning I ran in to a friend of mine from Syria who lives upstairs when we ended up in the elevator together. The longer I live in this building the more “regulars” we see in the elevator. As our building is almost fifty stories high, we can get a bit of time together to chat and catch up.

10) Are you fun loving?

Absolutely. Under nearly all circumstances I try to have some degree of fun and laughter. Our whole family is this way and we laugh a lot. I didn’t realize just how much until just after Daegan was born. Sage had had a Cesarean birth so had stitches and laughing hurt when she and Daegan first got home. And so, in the midst of all of the new parent stress of our first week as parents, Sage told her mom and I that we were not to laugh or be funny lest we also make her laugh. This lasted for about a week and by the end of it we were all so depressed and we realized it was because we weren’t allowed to joke around as much as we normally do. Fortunately it was only that way for a short time.

11) What is your dream holiday destination?

For a decade or more I’ve been dreaming of a bicycle tour in India. Put me and my bike on a road somewhere, give me 2-3 months and I’ll just follow the wind. Talk to people in one place and hear what other places they love, ride toward there, and then repeat. And then when that’s done, maybe continue eastward toward Vietnam. And when that was done, turn south and end up in Singapore before going home. And then write a book about my experience.  So I guess my dream destination would change day by day. Or maybe I can just be general and call it “South Asia”.

Now for my 11 questions for you. As a reminder, if you are reading this, I’m interested in your responses. If you have a blog, feel free to answer them in an entry and comment with a link to it. Or just answer the questions you like in the comments below.

1. What song always takes you back in time? Where does it take you?
2. Were your parents strict or permissive?
3. What was the most disobedient thing you did as a child. (here’s mine!)
4. What is your favourite way to travel?
5. I’m having a party and you’re invited. What snacks should I get that you’ll love to see?
6. Did you have pets growing up? What kind?
7. Other than biologically necessary things (food, water, air), what can’t you live without?
8. You are accepting an award, who do you thank in your acceptance speech and why?
9. What was your favourite subject in school?
10. What was your favourite toy when you were a child?
11. What would you rather have to live with, hot summers or cold, snowy winters?