A Collection of Moments

So, what the heck is a Nectar List? Well, it’s a list of all the great moments that have impacted you. You can think of it as the opposite of a bucket list. It’s a reflection on the good, the bad, and the memorable moments of your life. A good friend of mine told me about this a few years ago and I love it. Having a bad day? Take a look at your nectar list and my guess is you’ll be smiling (or maybe ugly crying) before you know it.

Great, but why is my Nectar List posted on my blog? Good question. Every story about the people and places that I’ve experienced is captured on my list and so I figured I’d use it to guide my posts. This is not the complete list, and I’ll be adding to it often so check back here occasionally. If you see an item you’re interested in and want to know more about it, send me a note and let me know!

NOTE: Most recent blog posts in bold. Click the link to go to the post.

Here’s my Nectar List…

  1. Hiked up and ate lunch inside an extinct volcano
  2. Ate lunch with a school of orphaned monks
  3. Was the first foreigner some villagers had ever seen
  4. Taught kids in a remote village how to play four square
  5. Built a bamboo hut
  6. Learned how to construct a concrete building with just a straight edge and a rock on a stick
  7. Shared tea with complete strangers
  8. Heard a young woman talk about her first time voting in Myanmar
  9. Saw the Big Five
  10. Was attacked by a kangaroo in the wild
  11. Hiked to Kalalau Beach on Kauai’s Napali Coast
  12. Driven a Mercedes station wagon on the Autobahn
  13. Been to the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium (to cheer on Everton FC)
  14. Performed in a Japanese drum ceremony
  15. Witnessed a Shinbyu Celebration in Bagan Myanmar. 
  16. Gotten drunk with English golfers at a pub in the middle of nowhere in Scotland
  17. Toured Boston in a police car with an Italian lawyer and a firefighter
  18. Experienced a day at the horse races in England
  19. Rode in a hot air balloon over more than 2000 temples!
  20. Skipped through the streets of Liverpool singing with friends
  21. Been Irish dancing with the locals in Dublin
  22. Had my photo taken with monks at sunset in Bagan.
  23. Moved across the world to a place where I knew no one….twice
  24. Went on my first vacation solo to Nicaragua
  25. Hiked the magical Inca Trail… and didn’t get altitude sickness! (Note: 2 posts!)
  26. Swam with bull sharks in Fiji
  27. Ate breakfast by moonlight at ruins along the Inca Trail
  28. Lived abroad for nearly three years (in England)
  29. Watched the sunrise from Griffith Observatory over Los Angeles
  30. Was mesmerized by Mother Nature as I explored the Southwest US by car
  31. Experienced the magic of the Northern Lights
  32. Went dogsledding in the Arctic countryside
  33. Saw the raw beauty of the fjords and the beauty of winter in the Lofoten Islands in Norway.