Happy New Year from RTW'23 in Amsterdam!

Tuesday 2nd Jan

I wanted to take a moment to wish each and every one of you a happy and healthy 2024! It's hard to believe that we've already entered a brand new year with endless possibilities ahead of us. If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the year that has passed and give yourself the opportunity to set intentions for the new year ahead. As you can see from the photo, Mike came in for a holiday visit! It was wonderful to be able to spend some time with him during my journey! In one week, I will be boarding a cargo ship and making my way to South Africa! I am so excited to experience this type of travel, and I'm looking forward to sharing the experience with you. Q&A I'd like to flip the script on my blog and give you the opportunity to lead the dialogue on an upcoming blog post. I'm so excited to hear from you, and I'd like to open up the floor for you to ask me any questions that you'd like answered! Is there a certain city you want to learn more about? Do you have logistical questions about living out of a backpack? Are you curious about the people I've met? If any question has arisen during your time reading my blog, or if you have questions about the future, my daily routine, or anything and everything in between, please submit your question to the email address below! I look forward to interacting with you in a more personal way! Submit questions to: rtw23.contact@gmail.com   Thank you for your continued support, prayers and good intentions. Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and happy new year filled with all of the things that bring you joy!

World Bicycle Relief My RTW '23 journey is happening in support of the World Bicycle Relief initiative. I am happy to announce that, because of all of your support, I have reached more than 70% of my $10,000 goal! Each bike through this initiative is $165, so that means 42 families lives have changed, all because of us. I am so excited that, together, we are making such a huge impact! Please feel free to share this with family and friends, as every donation, small or large, helps immensely! To support this amazing group, please follow the link below to make a donation or read about their cause. For those of you who have already donated, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping this amazing cause!

Share

IT'S OFFICIAL, I'm retired, graduated from work!

Saturday 15th Jul

June 30,2023 

IT’S OFFICIAL! I’m retired or as I’ve rebranded this milestone: Graduated from my professional career. 

I took my time today to walk the manufacturing floor, say goodbye, have breakfast in the cafe , and reflect on my time at J&J and my career in medical devices .  I felt bittersweet but with a heart full of gratitude and excitement for what lies ahead. 

I'll be enjoying the New England summer and in September be on my way to Portugal to kick off Sharon’s  “Round the World Adventure” 

https://sharoneldertravels.com/rtw23/

https://sharoneldertravels.com/subscribe/

I'll be volunteering with   

https://www.allhandsandhearts.org/ 

 And fundraising for World Bicycle Relief 

https://www.powerofbicycles.org/fundraisers/sharonelder/power-of-bicycles-us

Thank you to all my friends and family; you’ve made the last few weeks and TODAY so special with cards, gifts, donations, well wishes, shared meals , messages. 💜💜🙏🏻🙏🏻. 

My first stop after leaving the office today was boot camp at the Wareham Y! 

Onwards, let the next life chapter begin !

#JohnsonJohnson

#LifeAfterStageGate

#Retirement

#graduation2023

#summer2023

#lifeisgood

#worldbicyclerelief

#slowtravelstories

#allhandsandhearts

Share

June 10th Hiking meets Yoga

Monday 12th Jun June 10th was the first "Hiking meets Yoga" event in Fairhaven, MA.   I was thrilled and grateful that 16 hiking yogis joined me on a cool glorious Saturday morning. We hiked a total of 4 miles along the New Boston Road Trail and practiced Sva Ha yoga in a beautiful clearing . Our practice  including earthing, sounding, and honoring the coming summer solstice.  Special thanks to Andrea DeVeau, Power and Grace Yoga co-founder, for hosting the event and bringing her musical talents and instruments. Heart hugs  to our youngest yogi, Harper, and her mom, Gena, for bringing joy and wonder to our time together. All proceeds from the event were donated to my World Bicycle Relief fundraiser and we raised $315 (plus matching funds of $200) for a total $515. I'm so happy to blend my love for hiking with yoga with the mission of World Bicycle Relief.  Be on the lookout for more events like this one!  Namaste  Share

International Women's Day

Wednesday 8th Mar

I first celebrated International Women’s Day in 2011 while living and working in China. All the female employees received a very nice set of towels. I appreciated the gift and it prompted me to better understand the history and impact of IWD. This year,  the day marks 6 months until I embark on my trip around the world to  raise awareness of Women’s issues and inspire empowerment. Join me in embracing equity. 

 

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

#IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity

 

The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren't enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. Read more about this here https://www.internationalwomensday.com/EquityEquality

Share

Tuesday 14th Feb

Why am i doing this RTW’23 trip   (’round the world in 2023) 

I Love traveling and connecting/exploring new areas of the world,  cultures and people, especially women who have struggles like I did

Finding how we have more in common that we first appear on the surface brings me joy

I Love having an impact to be able to lift and elevate someone or a community in need

Why ?

Because I have had struggles in my life and people were there for me. I have a deep sense of empathy. I can feel what’s it like to be in someone’s shoes. I can see multiple perspectives. I can hold space for different points of view and be ok , actually curious,  to better understand how each of our life experiences can bring us to different conclusions/beliefs/biases  and its by finding a common purpose that we can meet and discover that we’re part of the same human family: oneness.

Why is it personal for me at this time in my life?

I’m in a sweet spot not having to care for family members, no aging parents, my son is an adult before kids , so many of my friends have both of these commitments – but I don’t  at this time.

I had a lot of tragedy in my 20’s-30’s-40’s, a life time of the really big passages most people deal with these hardships over their entire lifetime but mine were compressed into 25 years and now at 62 I want to honor that; hold all of these experiences  in reverence, travel the world, give back how and where I can , be an inspiration to others.

Life is precious and not guaranteed – making a difference and feeling that impact – whether it’s  a small encounter, crowd fundraising for a charity that is aligned with my mission, having a deep connection with friends, people i meet along the way , people who can travel along the way with me — all this feels like the culmination of honoring and celebrating my life so far.  Why wait , the time is now…..time is now to plan it so that it’s a rich , meaningful experience that honors my life experience, pays it forward —- there is hope  and joy and love in this world.

Share