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Hello Sojourners!

Please enjoy this edition of 8 Good Things and take a moment to check out our new Sojourn Explorers website.

Crazy heat we are having in Los Angeles. Not to mention the not-so-great air quality because of all the fires still blazing in our state. Though wherever you are, I pray you are safe and healthy as we now begin October, our seventh month of the pandemic. While international borders are opening and closing, I join those who continue to be optimistic that this, too, shall pass. We will be out in the world again. I know several people who are already brave enough to travel. I have my sights on Africa by the end of the year.

Here is the latest update on my 1000 CharityMiles walk for Stand Up To Cancer. As of this writing, I am 813.05 miles into my journey. So, getting closer. Despite the air quality here, I am getting out to log miles when I can. I am walking to support patients and caregivers with COVID-19. Your donations are meaningful. Even pledging one-cent per mile makes a difference. I am grateful for everyone’s support. The easiest way to sponsor this walk is to go to my pledge page.

Inquire About Travel Destinations

1The Orionid Meteor Shower Will Light Up the Sky With Shooting Stars This October — Here’s How to See It. Whether you are in the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern, time to make plans to watch one of the best astronomical shows of the year. Its peak will happen after midnight on October 21st. Make sure to be somewhere that has little light pollution. The meteor shower occurs when we pass through the tail of Hailey’s Comet.

24 Women on Getting Back Into Solo Travel After Lockdown. Most of my travel life has been spent going it alone. In recent years, solo travel has been on the rise. Eighteen percent of all global online travel in 2019 was single sojourners. As people venture into the world again, solo travel may be a great option. However, it will likely be more true to the word itself. This article offers some good traveler’s insights on what to expect post-COVID.

3The 87 Greatest Travel Books of All Time, According to Authors. [editor’s note: I usually do not feature two articles from a single source in the same 8GT edition. However, I thought it was worth making an exception this time.] For those who love to read. For those who love to travel. Especially for those who love to read about travel. As you can imagine on a list like this, Paul Theroux is heavily featured as is one of my favorites, West With the Night by Beryl Markham (1942).

Inquire About Being Happy

4Why Working Out Isn’t Working Out! In an age when almost everything can be found by a simple click or a swipe, a compelling interactive talk about turning off your screen and getting off your couch to play. It was shocking to learn that seventy-five percent of UK kids spend less time outside than prison inmates! Seventy-five percent of adults will pre-maturely die from chronic lifestyle diseases. Why? Because they do not move enough. The good news is that even small doses of exercise can reduce the risk of premature death by up to fifty percent. Movement = Medicine. The world can easily be your gym playground.

535 Fruits and Veggies to Solve Your Skin, Digestion, and Inflammation Problems. Cabbage and carrots and cucumbers, oh my! A few of these vegetables a day could keep the doctor away. This article is a great quick reference on what to eat and why. I am also sharing my new favorite podcast on nutrition and lifestyle, The Doctor’s Kitchen, hosted by Dr. Rupy Aujla. He believes in the power of food and lifestyle change as medicine.

6Why a “Values-based” Career Could Be the Secret to Greater Satisfaction. As someone who researches and writes about happiness, this is a no-brainer. If you want to be happy in your career and feel that you live your purpose on purpose, your goals, values, and beliefs must be all in alignment. If you are feeling unsatisfied, unhappy with your work, you are likely out of alignment. Perhaps it is time to take stock in what is meaningful to you and start doing it. If not, now, when? This article gives excellent advice as to where to begin sorting things out.

Inquire About Media Partnerships

7The Most Moving Tributes to RBG. Ruth Bader Ginsburg lived a purposeful life that inspired so many influential figures. Here are tributes from President Barack Obama, Madeleine Albright, and the journalists who knew her best.

830 Astonishing Pictures Found From the Nat Geo Archives. Parallels between the past and the present in beautiful imagery from around the world.

Sojourn Programs

Part of The Sojourn Experience’s mission is to help our community cultivate a healthier mind, body, and spirit. While we are still spending more time at home, I 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 self-paced online course, Happiness: Art of Life Balance.

Sojourn Getaway Special

Kuria Hills Lodge   |   N. Serengeti, Tanzania
I highly recommend this lodge for those open to travel and wanting magnificent wide-open spaces, teeming with elephants and big cats. On my last trip to Tanzania, I saw more wildlife at Kuria Hills than any other camp, which is saying a lot. There was an abundance of wildlife throughout that trip, though this location in particular. We had a chance to see a family of cheetah cubs, so sweet.

Special Guest Invitations   |   Through March 2022


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.

! Calming
Khatia Buniatishvili – Schubert: Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major,
Op. 90, D. 899
Almost two million, four hundred thousand views.

☺ The Art and Science of Happiness in Action
Shared Identity

One, think of someone who seems very different in every way.
Two, make a list of all the things you likely share in common.
Three, review this list.
Four, repeat this activity every time you meet someone
who seems different than you.

Why This Works: Even recognizing small shared interests,
like films or TV shows, can create a
sense of kinship across different groups.
This practice increases empathy.
Time Required: 15 minutes  |  Frequency: As needed

” Thoughtful

“Yet what greater defeat could we suffer
than to come to resemble the forces
we oppose in their disrespect for human dignity?…
 So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment
turn out to be great, good fortune.”
~ Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Stay safe. Stay well.
Maria and Team Sojourn
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