It's 40 days until St. Patrick's Day, which means if I stay on track, you'll soon meet Castaway Wilson—the Irish twin to Live Long and Prosper.
This past year has been one of the craziest I've ever experienced. The loss of extended family members and childhood friends has been difficult, but one of the toughest was losing my mother's older brother, Victor. He passed away just before my scheduled private book launch, which I canceled to attend his funeral in Arizona.
If you're like me, your schedule is often filled with conflicts, and you're constantly weighing which priorities matter most. I remember getting a call about my Uncle Victor wanting to meet up with us while he was on what would be his last vacation. At the time, I was so overwhelmed with projects that I almost declined the invitation to spend a couple of days with him in northern Iowa. Thankfully, I didn't. We had the time of our lives. Uncle Victor shared some of the best family stories I’ve ever heard. We dined at my favorite restaurant, Vinnie Vanucchi’s Little Italy, in Galena. We strolled along the Mississippi River. And the timing couldn’t have been better—my mother happened to be in Iowa, so she was able to join us in seeing her brother, his wife (a native Iowan), and their oldest son, Joe.
Writing The Adventures of Castaway Wilson has been one of my biggest creative challenges yet. The twists and turns make this journey unforgettable, and I realize now that the obstacles are what give the story its depth and meaning. I've never written a coffee table book before, and once again, I’ll be opening my heart to the world through its pages.
But I won’t be slowing down once this book is released. My next focus will be on raising money and awareness for outdoor pickleball in my community. And later this year, I’ll be adopting Lucy—an adventure van that my bride of thirty-five years and I will use for future travels.
Keep me in your thoughts as I turn up the heat. Have a great day!
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