Margaret Manning

Cities on Seven Hills

My dream is to one day visit all 34 cities in the world built on seven hills. If you are interested I actually wrote a book on the subject Seven, published by 1st Books which discusses the mysterious number seven from a historical, mythological and religious perspective. Seven~ days of the week, chakras, Islamic heavens, seas, continents, musical scale, colors in a rainbow, deadly sins, virtues, not to mention seven year itch, dwarves, seven steps to just about everything from self empowerment to learning spanish. Seven is an amazing number that does somehow seem to be programmed into our psyche. Anyway, I digress. Cities on seven hills - my obsession and dream. So far I have visited Bath, Seattle, Istanbul and Prague. Just 30 to go!! Lisbon, Rome, Moscow, Rio, Tallahasee, Cincinatti - the list goes on!!

Anyway, travel is another one of my passions in life and since finding myself in a state of "ex" decided to take the EX and transform it to EXtraordinary ~ and just for it. A city a year and I figure I'll be in Kampala, Uganda when I am in my 70's. Or, I can just take a year and do them all at once!! We'll see.

In researching my possible world excurison - I came across so many wonderful websites that offer women's tours...so here they are in case anyone is interested. No personal recommendations - you can just check them out yourself...

SAILING ESCAPES FOR WOMEN
MIND OVER MOUNTAINS~ THOUGHT PROVOKING ADVENTURES
GUTSY WOMEN TRAVEL
BOOTS ADVENTURE TOURS
WILD WOMEN EXPEDITIONS
ENERGIZE YOUR FEMININE FIRE IN HAWAII
SACRED JOURNEY RETREATS
EXPLORE IRELAND AND THE GODDESS WITHIN
EXPLORE WITH ADVENTUROUS WENCH
TRAVEL GALORE CATERS TO WOMEN OF ALL AGES
WOMEN'S RIGHTS HISTORY TOUR -- A BICYCLE EXPEDITION
WOMANTOURS OFFERS WOMAN-ONLY BICYCLE TOURS
SCOTLAND - GOLF VACATIONS FOR WOMEN
THE FRENCH ARTIST WORKSHOP
MENOPAUSAL TOURS
ADVENTURES IN GOOD COMPANY
CANYON CALLING, ADVENTURES FOR WOMEN
LIFE DISCOVERY TOURS
SHERI GRIFFITH RIVER EXPEDITIONS
WALKINGWOMEN
ADVENTUREWOMEN, INC
CARIBBEAN TRIPS FOR WOMEN
WITHOUT A MAN TOUR IN YUCATAN
TRAVEL WITH MARINER TOURS
A WOMAN & MONEY WORKSHOP IN MEXICO
CITY WOMEN TO VILLAGE WOMEN IN FIJI
NURTURE THROUGH NATURE
PARISWOMAN
EUROSTYLE TOURS
SIDE TRIPS
SACRED JOURNEYS FOR WOMEN

I figure if I just do all these tours I'll eventually get to my 34 cities ~ in the meantime I dream...

Sockless In Seattle

It's been a long cold spring. We've had drizzle and snow and rain - which you'd expect in Seattle. We've also witnessed big bright skies and the occasional rainbow which is definitely not in the normal Seattle scenic scrapbook. Summer is coming and the tourists are arriving at Pike's Market. The "Duck" is starting its daily tours and the booming sound of Louie Louie rocks my apartment down by the waterfront. Life is shining.

The light over my Queen Anne Hill was quite stunning tonight as I snuggled up on my big red sofa, mug of steaming Yorkshire tea and a sinfully high carb high calorie cookie. Who cares. Aktins is not in the supporting cast of my life as I reinvent my world after a sad divorce. My little puppy Chica, a chubby blue chihuahua, is like a furry psychic. Each night she chooses a book from my collection to chew. She sends me messages with her selection. I have tried to explain the concept of 'no', but she just tilts her head, big ears almost tipping her over. Her little pea brain just whirls around in a spiral and she smiles back. She looks at me with those big eyes and says in her unique way ~ "ok, you may be higher on the evolutionary scale than me oh wise one, but I can chew books and snuggle with my furry monkey, eat chicken and watch tv all day. You, on the other hand, have to do this thing called 'work' and spend an inordinate amount of time talking on this black thing with a twisty cable (that probably tastes really good)!

I watch you cry, I hear you pacing around before the sun comes up. I listen to your heart beating and wish I could hug you because you just seem so sad. Trust me, she says, chewing a book in my little mind is a lot more fun. Even spiritual. Anyway, I digress. Tonight she chose The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux, which now has cute little teeth marks all across the top. A sign! I love trains. Always wanted to go on the Orient Express. Istanbul, Venice, Vienna, Paris, London. One day. So, I am starting to pack for my trip around the world, a trip I will take "one day". I have packed 4 bras, a slinky black dress, a snuggly nightdress, a handful of euros, some coloring pencils, a journal and Berlitz guides for Prague, Lisbon and Bejing. I am sockless but hopeful in Seattle.

Verve is a Verb

Welcome to my weblog. If you have stumbled across it by chance~ Welcome. Who knows why one starts writing a blog. For me, it is an attempt to put some structure to a rather chaotic life. The omnipotent "they" always say that if you put your intentions and dreams into writing, nature will support you achieve your goals. So, I guess that's what I am doing - putting my intention and desires into writing, hoping that my tiny voice is being heard at some level by that mysterious power that guides our spirit in its journey towards meaning.

I also wanted to create this weblog for my family and friends. As I travel the world, which is my passion and desire, I want to be able to keep an online journey to share my journey and lessons..my life as a verb. The turning point was 911. How did that change your life? I can't begin to say how it changed mine. It affected my husband so intensely that he decided that after 18 years, life would be richer and fuller without me. Devastating at the time, but now I feel a strong and vibrant positive release for us both.

So I move on, reinventing myself from absolute ground zero.

I absolutely love the word "verve". Vigor, Spirit, Style, denoting special talent in writing. I came across the word a few years ago for the first time when a very dear friend of mine attended the funeral of one of the nameless people who were on the flight that was turned into a weapon of attack against the Pentagon on September 11. This lady, who had worked for the National Geographic for years, was taking a group of young schoolchildren on a cultural trip. Just another one of those tragic stories that never surfaced to the level of press attention. Just another sad loss of a brave women and some little children. Anyway, I guess at her funeral, most of the Geographic staff were there, and one person got up and said "It's typical of Jane (not real name) that she would bow out this way in order not to have to deal with her 40th birthday!! She was a woman with passion and verve".

Verve. A word that is one I'd like to have read at my funeral. That along with compassion, gutsy, loving, passionate, classy, authentic, truthful and curious. Verve is actually defined by the dictionary as a noun, but I feel it is a verb. It is an action word that finds its expression in acting out the qualities it embodies....vigour, spirit and style. In my life so far, I have focused on being nouns...mother, wife, friend, worker, helper and now its time to start living like a VERB. The second half of my life, as I embark on my journey around the world will be one heavy on the action words, those descriptions of myself that tell something of my energy, enthusiasm and excitement about the vitality of the precious gift of life...not the static, bounded descriptions of what my inner organizer says a woman or wife or mother embodies. I am active. Free. I am like the wind. There is no moment that I am only a noun. I am a verb.

A new website www.exinthecity.com is my latest venture - helping women move from "EX" to EXtraordinary! as they redefine their lives after the breakup of a relationship. Share your journey ~ come visit!