When people ask me if I have read a certain book that I indeed have read, I often hesitate to confirm. Reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" or a book about dating is a different experience at age 16 compared to 36 or 56. I first read the late Paul Fussell's provocative collection of essays " Thank God for the Atom Bomb " as a graduate student. When I reread it a few years later, I noticed that I had completely skipped the chapter about traveling. I am a " digital immigrant " who still prefers printed books, newspapers and articles so I can markup the text. I didn't mark a single thing in that travel chapter the first time around. The second time around, years later, I wondered how I could have missed Fussell's profundity. In particular, I appreciated his point distinguishing among travelers, tourists and explorers. (" There's No Place Like Home," Feb 12, 2013 ). What had changed? Me. I grew up in Texas and Massachusetts, but h...
"No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work."--Mother Teresa (attributed)