50 states and 12 countries in one year? How is that possible?
Please allow me to explain.
No, I haven’t won the lottery. And no, I haven’t inherited a fortune.
But that’s okay because what I’m doing is free.
It all began with an idea I had when thinking about the upcoming year. 2026 is one of those decade-changing birthday years, and I decided I wanted to make all of 2026 a memorable year. I texted my two best friends since age 12 and challenged them to do one new thing every month of 2026 and report to the others what we did. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be something as simple as trying a food I’ve never tried. But the goal is to broaden our worlds by doing just one new thing each month.
They accepted the challenge, and my brain continued to spin. Of our 50 states, I’ve only been to 25. I’ve been to three other countries–Mexico (too many times to count since I lived in the southwest corner of Arizona during my growing up years), Canada (but only Windsor and slightly north of there when I visited Detroit), and the Bahamas.
You may be thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot” or “That’s not very much,” depending upon your own experiences. To me, it’s not enough. After all, there’s a reason I majored in Spanish and minored in French, and that reason was not to teach the languages and culture. The reason was to experience the cultures and use the languages.
Fate or God or just life had other plans (maybe all three), and I ended up following a different path.
That doesn’t mean I lost my curiosity or my desire for parts unknown. Now that I’m retired, I have the time to visit more places, but once again, life has thrown me a curveball. The vision issue.
Losing all my central vision along with some peripheral vision and being able to see not very far away with what I do see being very different from what normal people see means I can’t enjoy beautiful scenery anymore. I have to have assistance with things like boarding passes and navigating airports and things like that. True, I can get that assistance from my husband or friends or employees of the airline or cruise ship or whatever, but it’s not as easy as it would be if I had normal sight.
The dilemma, then, is what to do? How can I see the states and countries that interest me?
You’ve already figured it out. YouTube. I can sit or stand one foot away from our 65-inch smart TV and see scenery that I would never be able to see in real life. I can be a virtual traveler by viewing videos and exploring those areas in other ways.
I texted my friends something along these lines: In addition to trying something new each month, I will find a video about each state and send one video link each week for us to watch. I will begin with Alabama and work through the list alphabetically until we finish with Wyoming. Also, each one of us will pick a country to “visit,” and we will view one country video a month. Because there are three of us, that means I only have to come up with four countries to visit during 2026. I will select countries I’ve never been. My first choice is Austria. Blame it on my favorite movie The Sound of Music.
And the additional challenge to the world tour? Prepare a food that is common to that country. Prepare it in an authentic manner, not the Americanized version.
You may be thinking I have way too much time on my hands to come up with such crazy ideas, and you’d be right. I have lots of time. When you can’t drive and your children and grandchildren don’t live close enough to require your services or to be dropping by all the time, you have plenty of free time.
So, why not make the most of it?
I have already sent the link to the video about Alabama, even though the new year has not arrived, and I’ve already scheduled my “something different” activity for January. I’m meeting with a personal trainer to design a workout plan for me to help me achieve my strength and fitness goals.
It also looks as though we’re going on a Disney cruise (we’ve done other cruises, not Disney) in November with my youngest son and his family and in-laws. My oldest son doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to approach him and his wife with the idea of the four of us going to New York City or Boston and Martha’s Vineyard. They’re places I’ve never been (obviously) but have always wanted to see.
Oh, a side note (you know how I get off topic at times) concerning places I recommend you visit if you’ve never been: Sedona and the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Outer Banks of North Carolina including Manteo, Kill Devil Hills, Duck and Currituck, Washington, D.C. (stay inAlexandria and hop on the metro, be sure to go to The Holocaust Museum but take tissue along, see all the normal tourist places, ride the trolley on King Road in Alexandria down to The Potomac River), and the Caribbean (the water is incredible). Can’t go due to limitations? Virtual visits!
Okay, back on topic. I have an idea for December that I’m not sharing with anyone yet, not even my husband, because I have no doubt I will be told I’m insane or at least unrealistic. I’ll keep you posted on that.
None of us is guaranteed tomorrow. As I write this, one of my friends through work and church is battling ALS. A classmate is battling pancreatic cancer. My niece’s long-term cancer treatment is ongoing. My cousin’s husband has been fighting cancer and going through treatments for a year. My niece’s mother, who survived ovarian cancer, has the ongoing battle with Type 1 diabetes and an auto-immune disorder. Another cousin who battled breast cancer has now been diagnosed with another cancer not related to the breast cancer. I know several people with Parkinson’s.
I could go on and on. My point? Make the most of each day. Do what you can with what you have. Can’t afford to travel the world? Travel is the way I’m doing. Have a “bucket list” activity you’ve been putting off? Find a way to do it. Don’t be foolish in throwing away your money unnecessarily or by taking unnecessary risks, but if you want to and have the means to be a “Survivor,” “Amazing Race,” “Jeopardy,” or even “Wheel of Fortune” contestant, go for it.
If you read my blog at all, you know I push the idea of helping others and remembering people who are shut-in by calling or visiting or just sending a card. I’m not promoting selfishness here. I still think the greatest joy in life comes from helping others. But every now and then, it’s fun to give yourself a treat.
If you are perfectly happy doing what you’re doing, that’s great. We’re all different, and while you and I may not be able to relate to each other because of our dreams or lack of dreams, we can respect each other’s perspective.
I plan to share recipes along the way, so here’s the one for Alabama:
Alabama White Barbecue Sauce from Serious Eats
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons prepared horse radish
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Step 1: Whisk all ingredients together in medium bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes and serve immediately with pork, chicken, or turkey, or place in jar in refrigerator and keep for up to two weeks.
Enjoy!
Life As I know it 