March 18th, 2024

Good morning,

   Tomorrow Julie and I set sail for the "old country". It’s the second reprise of the trip that got canceled four years ago because of Covid. I’ve always been a traveling guy. I’ve always had the wanderlust. I like to stay on the go…I’ve always said, if you keep moving around enough, the Grim Reaper will have a slimmer chance of finding you. However, I’m not a vacation guy… I don’t really like going on vacation. Vacations are about relaxation, partying and extravagance. It is a conundrum. I don’t see a lot of point to it. There are no monuments that I am particularly clamoring to see. I’ve never been on a cruise or any sort of organized tour….no interest, whatsoever. It’s just that I feel that I need a new, or at least a "refreshed" view of the world…a different way of looking at things, it helps me to get a perspective…. And perspective is something that is currently lost in America. I need to recharge my battery. I need to have a realignment to my worldview. And so we have gone through all the difficulty of packing enough clothes for a month and making reservations and renting cars and accommodations and making sure that all of the T’s are crossed for a successful and problem free trip…Julie is great at that, I’m not.

    So it is not without trepidation, that we leave behind everything that is comfortable and familiar, and venture out to live a daily life, in a small apartment, in the far western, Sicilian coastal port city of Trapani and hopefully engage with the local folks. Then we travel to North Sea for the calming Dutch delights of the Scheveningen shore. The entire process is more like work than vacation, especially for a crippled old guy like me, dragging a mobility scooter along. But it’s the way we do things. We will leave our “store” and all of its responsibilities, in the hands of Sam Snyder and our reliable staff who we trust implicitly. We will be in touch with them on a regular basis, but they will carry through and work the store as they have in the past. The hope is that we will come back refreshed, with a better attitude and a better worldview. Julie will be returning on April 7 in time for the total eclipse of the sun the next day. This area of the country is expecting an influx of a half million people to view the eight minute event. I have elected to stay behind and spend another 10 days by myself in a familiar little apartment by the Scheveningen Harbor. I am doing this because I think that my dear wife needs a rest from me….from having to care for me and take care of all my little needs and foibles. I believe I can do this, and it will be certainly an interesting time, with challenges to be met, but I am doing it with an open mind and positive attitude. Wish me luck.

With peace,

John Bernunzio