I walk twenty-five miles a week on my treadmill. I have never learned to swim. I find no contradiction here whatsoever.
My husband and I have completed twenty-five home exchanges. It is the most beautifully inexpensive way to see the world, and it has taken us to Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Gibraltar, Sedona, Montana, Georgia, Florida, and the beaches of the Carolinas, among others. We arrive as travelers, often bringing our extended family, and leave feeling, at least briefly, like locals. It has made me a better writer and a confirmed believer that the world is far more generous than the headlines suggest.
We are devoted Broadway musical lovers, and my two adult sons are full-time musicans and educators. Between us, we have seen Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Miss Saigon, Hadestown, and more. Les Misérables is my favorite — the kind of story that reminds you why storytelling exists in the first place.
We adopted our daughter from South Korea thirty-one years ago. It is one of the great defining joys of my life. She looks breathtaking in a hanbok, wields chopsticks with effortless grace, and has never once let me forget that I cannot. She is probably the reason I approach every story about family and belonging with a full heart.
We own a small apartment in Calitri, Italy. Yes, really. The hilltop village of Calitri, in the Campania region, was featured on HGTV International in 2014, and we fell so completely in love that we made it ours. It is exactly as charming as it sounds, and yes, I consider it research.
I am an unashamed HGTV devotee. Renovation reveals, before-and-afters, the moment someone walks into a house and just knows, I am here for all of it. And believe me, our Calitri apartment needed (and still needs!) a lot of work.
My dog, Henry, is less interested but tolerates my enthusiasm.