Til and Ted's Amazing Adventures

 Dear Barry, 

   I was thinking about Weekend with Barry the other day. That was such a fun trip. We both grew up with choose your own adventure stories and that weekend was a fun grown up version. Burger challenge or jump off a cliff. Go to a firing range or zipline down a mountain. Diabetes or Cirrhosis. It was the first time you, Chip and I had hung out in over five years and it was like we were back in high school again. It was like we had never been apart. 

Anyway, I used that idea as inspiration for a little book I just wrote for people who come visit us in Germany. Til and Ted's Amazing Adventures is a choose your own adventure type book that narrows down choices of activities to do and places to eat while here. Sometimes we can get overwhelmed when given too many choices so I've narrowed it down to two:) 

I'll probably trial with my parents when they come over, but maybe I'll send you a copy of the book so you can choose how you want to spend your time when you get over here.

Then I got bored because my family ditched me and I made another for our upcoming trip to Sweden. 

It's actually published and on Amazon which I think is funny due it's questionable quality(both production and content). 

Til and Ted's Amazing Adventure

Either way it was fun to put together and hope we will soon be able to have people over again to actually help us explore!

Until next time,

Danny

Anxious People

 Dear Barry,

  I'm sure you've heard of him but in case you haven't just wanted to let you know about one of my favorite new authors: Fredrik Backman. He's probably best known for A Man called Ove, but he's had several other great ones. In the week since the family has been gone to the States and abandoned me to my books, I've managed to read 7 books, sleep probably twice the number of hours and explore more of our region than I had previously been able. But I'd take illiteracy, sleep deprivation and the inexorable weight gain and have them by my side any day. Have I told you that I currently weigh the most I have since I played football in high school? That's right nearly 185lbs. I think, to make myself feel better, I will start measuring my weight in kilograms. That should take the edge off. I knew the metric system was useful! Plus it feels far more macho to bare zero degrees(c) than 32 degrees(f). Not to mention how much further I can run in kilometers!

I digress. But actually that's kind of how Backman writes. Only far more eloquently and more composed. But he comes off as if the whole story he's telling is literally just one long stream of thought. Occasionally he'll go on tangents and then, with a zap, remember what he was supposed to be talking about and circle back. And he does it in a way that, unlike John Irving, doesn't take one hundred pages of backstory. All in all I really like him and encourage you to read his stuff.

His new story, Anxious People, is another good one. I'm not here to give you a book report, but did want to quote you something from the book: 

"The problem is that everything is relative, happiness is based on expectations, and we have the internet now. A whole world constantly asking us: 'But is your life as perfect as this? Well? How about now? Is it as perfect as this? If it isn't, change it!' The truth of course is that if people really were as happy as they look on the Internet, they wouldn't spend so much damn time on the Internet, because no one who's having a really good day spends half of it taking pictures of themselves. Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that's probably because it's full of shit."

Sorry I know that's a long quote and that you'll probably read the book yourself but I just love it. So much about social media is harmful to us(mental health, ergonomics, visual strain etc), but we view it as our salvation. Or at least too many people do. I say it's better to put down the phone, close the laptop and get outside and enjoy the outdoors. Or minimally read a damn book. Or, if you have some adorable children nearby, snuggle the heck out of them. I know I would.

Until next time,

Danny

PS- here are some pics from my last two running outings this week: Koningsberg and the Feldenpfad. Very different locales but both beautiful. Looking forward you getting over here so we can explore more together!

Thankful

 Dear Barry, 

  I was thinking today about a conversation we had years back. At the time I was sick of the bad pay and long hours of my work and vented to you that I wanted to go back to school to become a doctor. You looked at me askance and asked me what about my job I didn't like. I fumbled around, realizing as I spoke with you that it was probably actually less the job than my own insecurities about how others viewed what I did for a living. I did in fact like my job and I was quite happy with what I did. "So why change something that you're happpy doing?" You asked this in such a way that, at the time, I just passed off as a Barry thing but nothing that works for normal people. But then I realized that you were exactly right. Why do something that doesn't bring us joy.

Or at least bring us to the places where we can be with those who bring us joy and afford us the time to spend with them. 

Long story short, as you know, I didn't go back to school to become a doctor. And while I have since had lots of change in my life: joining the Peace Corps, then moving first to the South and now to Germany, all along the way, I focused less on trying to change things to make myself happy and more on being happy with what and who I have in my life. I have been blessed with every opportunity that life has afforded me and I appreciate your simple but poignant words of advice.

Until next time,

Danny

PS- as promised, more pics of the kids. Love you man.