Diann Schindler served 25 years in higher education, first as an instructor of writing and ultimately college president. When she retired, she dabbled in tennis, music, and writing. Yet, her dream was to travel and write books. In 2015, her fantasy was realized.
She sold her house, her car, and all her possessions, save her tennis racket and Taylor guitar, and began her odyssey in Portugal. Four years later, Diann had explored 46 countries in 5 continents.
With world as her muse, this solo nomad wrote her first novel, “Just A Girl” and it sold very well. It was ranked “sixth best coming-of-age fiction in 2107” by Amazon.
Her friends, in American and abroad, urged her to write
her nonfiction book, “The Essential Guide to a Life of Travel: the ABC’s International Travel.”
Her third book, “Claim Denied”, an electrifying international cyber-espionage thriller, emerged from her experiences as a higher educational consultant at an American university in Kosovo. Publication is early winter, 2021.
Diann's podcasts are fun, informative, and lively, focusing on her travels; personal experiences, challenges, and reflections; writing tips; and love stories, fictional, of course.
For now, Amelia Island, Florida is her home. When she isn’t writing, podcasting, biking, or swimming, Diann is drinking wine with friends.
You can reach her through her website, DiannAbroad, or at diann@DiannAbroad.com. She would love to hear from you!
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Thank you so much.
Diann
Apr 12, 2019
This podcast is one in a series of podcasts designed especially for my "Cultivating Compassion through Travel" online course, which will be offered by the Charter for Compassion.
This is a simple guided meditation for Giving and Receiving Compassion. It is designed to allow for relaxation and absorption of self-compassion and compassion for others, such as friends, person(s) you know who may be struggling, and/or to more than one person.
Compassion is so important in our lives. It enables the infinite capacity of human kindness and creativity to relieve suffering, connect us to ourselves and to each other, create justice, heal our planet, and protect the natural world with all its inhabitants.
Here is a brief introduction to "Cultivating Compassion through Travel":
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” — Anthony Bourdain
Travel, it is well known, is transformative in a variety of ways. However, for significant, meaningful transformation, the traveler must have an open heart. That is, a heart receptive to tolerance, empathy, appreciation and, ultimately, compassion for others and the cultures in which they live. Without this, travel is mere sight seeing...a missed opportunity to embrace our complicated, challenging world and to learn to love one another.
This course will take participants through processes that bring awareness to any personal biases regarding practices and ideals of other countries, work through those thoughts to break through fears and/or negative views and see, more clearly, that people and cultures from all over the world, often are very much the same. They want to be happy, healthy and safe. All people want to take good care of their children so they also can lead happy lives, now and in the future.
"Cultivating Compassion through Travel" will be offered in the fall of 2019. Fee: $25
For information, please email me at Diann@DiannAbroad.com
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