Feelin’ six feet tall …

For most of my adult life I’e been 5 ft. 2 in. — until I reached the age of fifty. Since then I seem to have lost a half inch every five year or so. I’ve especially noticed it when I hug my grown kids. They’ve seemed like giants of late, so I actually measured my height this spring: I’m 4 ft. 11.5 in. Holy! Somewhere along the line I’ve shrunk 2.5 inches.

Yet,  today, I feel six feet tall. You see, I recently won two travel writing awards. It’s funny how that kind of recognition can both stroke one’s ego and humble one. One the one hand it’s a big confidence booster; on the other hand, I fully recognize that there are many other wonderful (and deserving) writers out there, so to be counted in the winner’s circle is something I don’t take lightly.

I also realize that it’s a privilege to travel and get around as much as I do and for that I am grateful.

Lots of people help me along the way including the people who share their stories, homes, communities with me; travel industry colleagues  who sometimes sponsor my trips; folks in the background at libraries, museums and various associations who help me with research; and, of course, the publications that print my stories. In this case, both stories appeared in LocalXpress.ca thanks to its wonderful editor, Andrea Nemetz.

You’ve heard the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” Well, the same can be said when a writer wins an award. We get a lot of help along the way.

In case you are curious, these are the two stories that garnered two Travel Media Association of Canada awards:

“Best Spirit of Canada Feature” (First prize): Port Medway, a small village with a big heart (but not for everyone)

“Best Cultural/Historical Feature” (Second prize): The birth of micro-nation Outer Baldonia

ps: the person in the photo above is Elinor Selig, a delightful person I’ve met a couple of times in Port Medway.