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Music: How it affects your brain, changes your mood and helps
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Hello Sojourners!

These days the world is changing so fast and furious between each edition of 8 Good Things. Last week, in particular, was no exception. In one morning (Pacific Time,) NASA launched its Mars 2020 Perseverance rover to go in search of microbial life. Meanwhile, on earth, we said good-bye to Civil Rights Hero Congressman John Lewis. That was Thursday, July 30th. On Sunday, we brought back astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, fondly known as the space dads, from the International Space Station. In some sense, these events brought full circle the history of the Selma March in ’65 and the lunar landing in ’69. It brought a punctuation to monumental historical moments in the US, along with a giant leap into the future.

The funeral of Congressman Lewis was like a civil rights history lesson with a resounding rally for every American to vote. I think Former President Obama’s eulogy was his most inspiring speech ever. It was a tribute that underscored John Lewis’ NY Times Opinion Editorial about his hope that this generation will finally enable peace to triumph over hate and violence.

Astronauts Behnken and Hurley successfully flight tested the first commercial space rocketship, bringing in another kind of hope. Hope that a broader range of people will be able to go into space, not just test pilots, engineers, and scientists. It opens the door to things like medical research that can only be done in a weightless environment. And who knows whether months from now, we will be learning of possible life on Mars. Also, traveling right now are eleven million names of people who signed up last fall for a ‘boarding pass’ on this unmanned journey to Mars.

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All so inspiring, exciting, and humbling.

In other updates. I am now 500+ CharityMiles into my journey. I am walking 1000 miles for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), raising money to support cancer patients and caregivers with COVID. I would be grateful if you would consider sponsoring me. I have a GoFundMe page that you can access through my CharityMiles Pledge page. You can sponsor me for as little as ten cents per mile.

One thing to note. On the CharityMiles Pledge Page, they will calculate the per mile donation amount based on the miles I have yet to complete. However, on the SU2C GoFundMe Page, you can make a donation for the entire 1000 miles. Thank you for your support! Every dollar and cent counts and is greatly appreciated.

CHARITYMILES PLEDGE PAGE
SU2C GOFUNDME PLEDGE PAGE

A final comment here. As we start to see international skies re-opening, we will be highlighting places to check out under our new section, Sojourn Getaway Specials.

8 Good Things is a curated newsletter of inspirational and informational articles, videos, and quotes. If my thoughts about an article or video interest you, please click the ‘source’ button (e.g., NEW YORKER) to learn more. If you come across a story you would like me to consider sharing, please send it to explorer@sojourn-intl.com. This newsletter comes out once every three weeks.

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1These Are the 25 Most Romantic Islands in the World, According to Travelers. Travel + Leisure did this island survey pre-COVID. However, the thing about romantic islands is that they are often more remote and have fewer crowds, which is perfect for post-COVID travel. Listed at number three are the Seychelles, located in the Indian Ocean, about 1000 miles east of Kenya. When I went there years ago, I flew through Nairobi. It was idyllic, and commercialism had not really set in there. One of my fondest memories is getting picked up in a small fishing boat by a restaurant owner I met while dining one evening. He and his chef met me on the beach at my hotel. We went out to a secluded nearby island, where we caught fish. It was cooked with simple ingredients: olive oil, lemon, a few herbs, and baked over a hot coal grill in the sand. Ah, to be there now. When people start traveling internationally again, they will most likely be looking for less crowded destinations. I think you will find some wonderful inspiration in this article.

TRAVEL + LEISURE

Inquire About Being Happy

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2Music: How It Affects Your Brain, Changes Your Mood and Helps You Focus. Insightful article on the many ways music impacts us. I am sharing this one because many find it distracting working at home during these COVID days. Partners, kids, animals seem to always be around. One way to keep focused is by listening to an alternative sound, like music, while wearing headphones. It seems music can make you smarter as well. Have you ever heard of the ‘Mozart effect’? Research in the early 90s showed that students listening to ten minutes of a Mozart piano piece before doing an IQ test scored remarkably higher than those who did not listen to music.

SCIENCE FOCUS

3This Moment Offers a Chance to Rethink Our Relationship With Time. Arianna Huffington expounds on how right now is when we can assess what physicists call our timescape – the past, present, and future happening all at once. Have you, or do you, feel that you are the victim of time famine, where there is never enough time. Or, blessed with the exact opposite, time affluence? We are here with an opportunity to use this forced slow down period to take control of time instead of it controlling us. Slowing down is not to say that you become less ambitious. Though it is to say, you can shift your perception to feel less anxious about how you move through your days. You do this by consciously creating moments in your day to recharge so that your focus, productivity become overall better, clearer, perhaps, even making you wiser. 

THRIVE GLOBAL

4Five Ways to Encourage Safe Behavior During the Pandemic. The other day I went to mail a letter at a post center. A few folks were lined up outside, waiting for their turn, all wearing masks. A passerby came along, not wearing a mask. A lady in line gave him grief about it. He responded by saying that the coronavirus is a hoax. Hers was, “Yeah? Well, my dad died from it.” I heard another story where a man at a convenience store was shot because he told someone they should be wearing a mask. And there are other similar stories. Is it really that hard to wear a mask that will protect both yourself and others? This is a relevant article on how to deal with those who seem unimpressed by COVID. One way to encourage safer behavior is by expressing gratitude. This is what I do, especially when I am out hiking, and I see someone put on a mask as they approach me. I think it makes a difference. The big takeaway from the article is that we are one family trying to fight this virus. Appealing to this fact by saying “thanks,” role modeling, reminding others of our shared humanity are all things that are scientifically proven to be effective — and so easy to do.

GREATER GOOD

5John O’Donohue, The Inner Landscape of Beauty (2008.) A timely, timeless interview with Irish poet, theologian, and philosopher before he passed away in his sleep at the age of fifty-two. His poignant thoughts on how the “inner landscape of our lives” intertwine with what we know and see that shape where and how we see beauty. It seems particularly relevant these days. [Thank you, Jake Haupert]

ON BEING W KISTA TIPPETT

6Women Around the World on Life in Lockdown. During this time, it is reasonable to feel disconnected from the world, especially from people. This article taps into the ‘Women Who Travel’ Facebook community to share some of their stories. We may live in different parts of the world, though we share similar feelings.

CONDE NASTE TRAVELER

7On My Birthday What I Would Tell My Younger Self. A piece I wrote about embracing both the lightness and darkness of being.

THRIVE GLOBAL

Inquire About Media Partnerships

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8Birth of a Phenomenon – An Oral History of Survivor: Borneo. Recently, the television show Survivor celebrated its 40th season. A journalist reached out to ask me some questions about being one of the original producers on the series. It was kind of kick to go down memory lane. We talked about many things I had not thought of in years. It also brought to mind a little known bit of Survivor/Amazing Race trivia. When Survivor was in pre-production, I suggested Phil Keoghan to be the host. It came down to him and Jeff Probst, and we know who won. Though just a few weeks later, CBS offered Phil the hosting slot on Amazing Race. He now has a new show on the same network. It took him ten years to launch! It is called Tough As Nails, and I hope you have the chance to tune in to it. It is a show that celebrates essential workers, honoring the hard-working men and women who keep our country running. I love the cast. This show comes around at a time when we can use some uplifting content on network TV. It airs Wednesday nights at 8 pm.

INSIDE SURVIVOR
TOUGH AS NAILS PREMIERE PROMO

Sojourn Getaway Specials

Mpingo Ridge Lodge | Tarangire National Park | Tanzania
Tanzania is open to travelers. I love this lodge. It sits on a ridge overlooking the bush. Watching the sun setting from your balcony as you hear sounds of elephants trumpeting in the distance is a slice of heaven. Tarangire National Park is where you come to see large herds of elephants and weirdly stunning baobab trees.

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Special Guest Invitations | August, September 2020

Twenty-five percent discount for stays of four nights or more.

Fifty percent discount on the second night of a two or three-night stay.

First child (5 – 15yrs) sharing a room with one or more adults is complimentary.

Honeymoon Special
Groom’s first night is complimentary. The bride enjoys a fifty percent discount with a minimum five-night stay.

 
ASK ME MORE

Sojourn Programs

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Part of The Sojourn Experience’s mission is to help our community cultivate a healthier mind, body, and spirit. While we are all staying a social honoring distance apart, I would like to share some other offerings to support your pandemic self-care.

First are a downloadable PDF guide and recording of my Love, Gratitude meditation practice. Two things we can all use a lot of right now, and always.

When you download the PDF, you can enroll for free in my online course, Happiness: Art of Life Balance.

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” Thoughtful

“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
~ Maya Angelou

☺ The Art and Science of Happiness in Action
Gift of Time

One, think of someone you care about.
Two, what can you do for them that asks
only the giving of your time.
Three, plan the gift and when to give it.
Four, do not tell the recipient what you are doing ahead of time,
nor how much time you spent doing it.
Why This Works: Giving time is giving kindness and love.
This gesture makes both you and the other person feel good,
which strengthens your relationship.
Time Required: Varies Frequency: As you feel inspired

GREATER GOOD UCBERKELY

! Amazing
A Decade of the Sun

10 years. 20 million gigabytes of data.
425 million high-resolution images of the Sun.
A new time-lapse video marks a decade of operations for the
Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission.

NASA GODDARD

Stay safe. Stay well.
Maria and Team Sojourn
Learn More

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Maria Baltazzi
PhD, Conscious-Centered Living  |  MFA, Film


Emmy-winning TV Producer, Happiness and Mindfulness Teacher, Transformational Travel Ambassador, Seven Continent Marathon Walker

About
The Sojourn Experience is a conscious-centered company with a portfolio of three entities. Sojourn Explorers curates transformational experiences to extraordinary places around the globe. Part of the money for each trip goes to nonprofit organizations that we believe in. Through Picture Happiness: Take a Shot, Maria helps professionals uplevel the quality of their thoughts and habits. She designs Happiness programs and workshops as well as leads retreats. Finally, Sojourn looks to create media partnerships with writers, producers, and directors to get their projects sold to production companies and various platforms.

Special thanks to Astrid Martin, article and video content research, and Michael Tobias, editorial review and formatting, for their ongoing contributions to 8 Good Things.

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Reach the Unreachable

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Thirty-six hours that will change your life. This is no overstatement. Be among the first to land at our magnetic north in a modern airship that uses innovative technology that combines the best of fixed-wing airplanes, helicopters, and static helium lift. What is old is new and even better, and more sustainable than jets or vehicles.

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