Leaving 1203

A Message From Marietta

I love books, the feel of the covers and the words within. I toast the printing press, reading, bookstores, and libraries. Books are teachers.

Ah, but we gain insight in many ways, fortunately. In my first year of living and traveling with Leaving 1203, I’ve learned a mind and a heart full by listening to stories and participating in rich conversations. Sauntering from Florida to New Hampshire, hearing in person and reading emails, I know these things to be true:

Everyone wants to feel at home on the planet. We seek a sense of belonging. Welcome.

Relationship matters. We thrive on connections with each other and with the places we hold dear.

Humor and relaxation restore us.

Quiet, serenity, and birdsong beckon as always. Even more. Evermore.

We can change our perspective and shift priorities if we choose. It’s never too late.

Gratitude serves us all.

We have so very much in common—how striking this reality becomes when I witness it over and over. Each of your shared remembrances stay with me, tender stories of other unlocked back doors and feisty grandmothers. I smile at every request for my mother’s potato salad recipe and, often, your offers of tasty variations. I “meet” your treasured dogs, past and present, always with your kind nod to my 1203 companion, Billy. I find comfort in all our eyes searching for the same North Star.

From Leaving 1203: “Here’s to celebrating good will at every chance. Carry on and on.”

Yes! Happily Carrying On,
Marietta