jkdurden

As a world traveler, I truly enjoy exploring different cultures, gathering new experiences and meeting new people along the way. I love exploring places with grandeur. These could be topping out on a mountain summit, enjoying a river valley while fishing, road trips into small villages far away or simply walking the coastline listening to the waves crash the shore. These places are genuinely healing to the my soul. Lastly, I don’t believe you can truly enjoy a culture unless you meet the people and taste their food. I try to bring these culinary endeavors home to my own kitchen so that I can travel back, at least in a culinary way, without ever leaving my house. Unfortunately, in times like these, I must also emphasize that anything I may say, post or share does not equal an endorsement to any cause or ideology. I'm simply sharing something for the sake of an open and welcoming discussion. As the world has become more connected, we have allowed ourselves to become intolerant and disrespectful to others. The only way to divert ourselves from this divisive and destructive path is to engage in thoughtful and respectful discourse. These insights will help each of us to see the world through another’s eyes which will may increase our respect for one another and reconnect us as humans. We still may disagree, but at the very least; it gives us a chance to truly embrace our differences and to increase our understanding of one another as we both expand our world view. These discussions will give us an opportunity to learn from and embrace one another as we seek to respectfully coexist in a freer, more peaceful and more understanding world. I make the promise to you that I will treat you with respect, even if we may disagree on a particular topic. I request those of you who comment on my social media behave in the same manner. We don’t have to agree but we must not become disagreeable. Which I think has happened a lot as we explore this social media experience. Finally, be safe, travel often and smile. When you enter a place or culture, you have a choice to bring light or darkness to that space. Bring light and a warm embrace to those places; even those places that may scare you. Find a way to be more comfortable with being uncomfortable. This means you're pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. When you're outside of that zone, you can literally do anything. Be well, James This is my personal space for comments, blogs and only contains my views, thoughts and opinions. It is not endorsed by FedEx nor does it constitute an official communication from FedEx.