Tattoo—Journeys on My Mind
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.Up to the Tree House: A canoe trip in South Carolina, with an overnight in a tree house, was my chance to set the fun tone of tree house to right.
2.Outside My Comfort Zone: Many things about traveling around southern Africa dragged me outside my comfort zone. Back home in the snow, I’m at a loss as to why I thought being at home would be so much more comforting.
3.Eye of Horus: In Egypt, I didn’t get to attend a religious ceremony celebrating the glory of Isis and the menus weren’t written in hieroglyphics. Even though I knew this before arriving, it was still disappointing to face the reality.
4.Collecting Cow Manure: Cultural empathy has it limits; something I learned the hard way in Northern India. This journey recounts the incidents leading up to the point where I lost mine.
5.Maya Moment: After becoming immersed in the ruins of the Maya Civilization, I felt lucky to be able to retreat to an existent country.
6.Winter Retreat: A brief winter retreat in Vermont left me better equipped to cope with the ice underfoot and planted a new perspective on my approach to life.
7.Folding Lotus Petals: In Thailand, people may have looked to have far less but overall they had a lot more. I think it had something to do with folding lotus petals.
8.Looking for Tanooki: When communications became muddled in Japan, locals stepped forward to help me out. It made sense that Tanooki came from that place.
9.The Howling: My first dog sledding experience proved to be a lesson in team dynamics and self-empowerment.
10. Not Same: Vietnam reminded me that life is not always what it seems.
11. More Than One Type of Clown: A trip to see the sights around Milwaukee led me to ponder just who I am and to realize I need to pick a stage name.
12. The Unexpected: They have some good things going on in that land of sausage trees and elongated earlobes.
13. Covering Ground: Zigzagging around Alaska helped me gain a new perspective about where I’m from and made me wonder if my hometown has a bachelors’ album.
14. Honor by a Nose: Southern India wasn’t as hectic as my adventures in the north, but it was still unnerving in its own way.
15. Room with a Turret: The Loire Valley reminded me of the dragons in my mind.
16. Desert Disappearance: In western Utah, I saw evidence of wives being put out to pasture in the desert.
17. The Other Side of the World: China and the USA are a lot alike except Where’s Waldo seems different.
18. And the Kangaroo Danced to the Didjeridu: Three weeks in Australia made quite an impression, at least the insects and the reptiles did. They were visible where they should not be and invisible where you knew they were.
19. Mushrooming Anxiety: Eastern Europe provided a sideways look into gulags and accented the historical violations of people’s right to liberty.
20. Cow Talk: Way out west felt far away. Maybe if I had worn boots….
21. Trolls, Dwarves, and the Human Race: Caving opened my eyes about what I wasn’t seeing on the surface.
Each of these journeys left an indelible mark.
TATTOO—Journeys on My Mind by Tina Marie L. Lamb
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Buy it. Read it. And let me know what you think! —TMLL
