Inspired by Life!
Beginning – or ending – can be exhilarating. And a bit off-putting as well. I say that as someone who just chucked over thirty years in both Corporate America and Academia (plus a whole host of other fascinating and unrelated career stints, which will be making occasional appearances on these pages). I once delivered a robust commencement speech on the irony of how we interchange the words “Commencement” and “Graduation”; they certainly mean very different things.
So, why the change? Why now? More to come on that, but for now, let’s say that a different strain of music kept playing louder and louder in my head. My go-to classical soundtrack was still “Ma Vlast” or “My Homeland” – an incredibly moving and patriotic work by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. But new and discordant tunes kept surfacing. At first, I didn’t understand. And then I travelled to northern India, where I covered a lot of ground by bus. My eyes were glued to the window; I didn’t want to miss a single colorful sight. Interestingly, and regardless of where we were travelling, one particular road sign would appear and reappear in the very middle of the street. It proclaimed “Take Diversion”. And then I understood. It was time for me to divert my life.
My business “childhood” was spent at Procter & Gamble, that iconic institution right in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio. One thing that every P&G marketer had to learn in order to survive is that if you needed to get anything done, say, introduce a Macadamia Jif to the nut butter line up, you were obliged to make your business case in terms of Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics. A bit formulaic, but that lesson has helped me to this day. And you should know right off the bat what I aspire to on these pages. So here goes, with a tip of the hat (and a squeeze of the Charmin), to that famous soap maker in the Queen City.
My objective in creating this blog is to connect and share insights with and about people from all over. Not just geographically “all over”, but also in terms of backgrounds, ethnicities, occupations, dispositions, passions, experiences. I have been blessed with a very rich and colorful life. As the only child of European-born parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, I started traipsing around to far-flung places as a toddler. I grew up hearing the assertive high German (Hoch Deutsch) of my paternal grandparents and the lilting and romantic Viennese dialect (Wienerisch) of my maternal grandparents. This predisposed me, from an early age, to embrace differences, especially anything foreign. Add to that a fascination with people (apparently I stared at faces and eavesdropped intently from my high chair), and we have the basis of my passion. I’ve studied 7 languages. I’ve lived, worked, and attended schools in 4 different lands. I’ve traveled to more than 40 countries on 5 continents (and 42 of our 50 states). And most importantly, I bake a mean Viennese apfelstrudel!
Travel experiences, interesting people I’ve met, funny stories, culture, language and above all food (yes, recipes!) will feature prominently on these pages. Think in terms of People, Places, and Plates. And… I suspect some insights from my personal growth, experiences, and observations in the world of leadership development, marketing, career management, not-for-profit work, travel guiding, and counseling may creep in as well.
My personal tagline is “Inspired by Life.” I love life! I actively think about how much I love life. I say it out loud when I’m driving (alone!). Life inspires me to create and connect with food and people at home and throughout the world. Yes, I’ve had my share of “quote of the day” and “recipe of the week” calendars, but I’ve found that all I need to do is look right in front of me for the most amazing inspiration of all.
So, let’s start this journey together. Come on, I’m getting hungry!
10 Comments
You are absolutely amazing and I’m enjoying every minute of your blog.
Your Mom and Grandma were a part of my early life and I know
they would be thrilled with what you are doing now, especially your Grandmother.
Stay healthy and safe.
Lots of love,
Deedy
PS Enjoying my beautiful bracelet.
Thanks, Deedy. Your note made my day. I was a very lucky gal to have the mom (and dad!) and grandparents that i did. They left me with such precious legacies.
Loving this and all the memories of your mom – I miss her, too – Grandma Mitzi and Loni. I will be making these in honor of the amazing Balter women using my genuine Madagascar vanilla beans. Will be followed with a Crescent Ridge ice cream chaser. Perhaps dipped in it? Can’t wait to read more.
Alysa, I signed up for blog post notifications! My quick tour of your awesome site makes me very excited to read your posts! And can’t wait until you add some of your yummy recipes! Keeping traveling, eating, and then sharing with all of us so we can live vicariously 🙂
Hi there! I am looking forward to reading about your adventures. If you find yourself in Philly, on the East coast, walk on over to our house!
XoXo
Sue
Love the experience sharing! More chocolate please!!!
Very fun to read, your bright personality shines right through. Look forward to more!
So excited for your new life adventures! It takes personal courage to switch gears, move beyond the comfort zone and take the risk….good for you!! Happily following your blog and I will pass it along….
Looking forward to hearing about your journey…and hoping to learn from your insights.
great post!