Well, after a series of morning runs on a trail lined by fields of grain on the left and sunflowers on the right, my body has recuperated.

My mind on the other hand, is on fire. More like a wildfire. Spirit ignited, perhaps.  The situation is aggravated by a willingness to engage anyone and everyone no matter what topic in no matter what language.  I’ve had a broader range of conversations (and stilted attempted-conversations) in the last 120 hours than I ever thought possible.

Hee hee. Whoa.  It’s great though.

It’s been 4.5 countries in 4.5 days (Palestine/Israel, Switzerland, Netherlands and Spain) in addition to the stimulating scenes and interactions at the airports of Tel Aviv, Zürich, Amsterdam, and Madrid. I enjoy people-watching like some people enjoy bird-watching.  I especially enjoy being watched by birds.  They get so embarrassed when you catch them watching you…they usually get all flustered and fly away.

There is a lot to see in Spain, apparently it is the number 2 tourist destination in the world after the United States. I had no idea. Probably because no me solía viajar como turísta.  But here I am in the number 2 destination!

Spain seems to enjoy a number 2 ranking in many areas:
No 2. in average height of people in Europe after the Netherlands
No 2. in sports overall in the world
No 2. in consumption of seafood after Japan
No. 2 in important European bike races after the Tour de France.

So yeah, I will tour around a bit.  Yet, at the place where I am staying there is a world of books to tour  as well, and this is why my mind has not rested yet.  I’m brushing up on my Enneagram knowledge, skimming The Shock Doctrine, a translation of the Qur’an given to me by an Imam of Omar’s Mosque in Bethlehem, and I just picked up one more book called “Seven Things Children Need.” It’s hard to read these books–and this one in particular–without trippin’ on past experiences, questions, and my own psychological ‘stuff’. The list is:

1. Significance
2. Security
3. Acceptance
4. Love
5. Praise
6. Discipline
7. Spirituality

As I read I am reflecting on how my intersectional analysis of ecology, equity, and education shows itself in the way I express any of these seven things to the children I am around.  How the life of my mind interacts with the life of their minds.

For the birds. Watch out! More mind-enlivening data here.