WELCOME TO 2-2-2 TUESDAY
Here are 2 Cultural Highlights, 2 Quotes, and 2 Brief Stories for you to enjoy.
Inspired by Croatia
2 CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS
1.
Ahoy! Croatia’s Coastal Charms:
Hello! Welcome to the aquatic wonderland of Croatia! With a coastline that seems to stretch for eternity, Croatia offers a smorgasbord of beaches and pristine swimming possibilities. One may best describe the water temperature as perfectly refreshing for a hot day. The initial immersion wakes you right up with a bit of cold discomfort. After a few seconds, you have already adjusted and feel glad the water isn’t any warmer.
Looking out into the sea, you’ll see an impressive labyrinth of waterways bustling with ferries, yachts, and sailboats. They gracefully glide through the crystal-clear turquoise waters.
We also think you’d love the beaches in Croatia. There’s a huge variety ranging from white stones to soothing sand.
Most of the beaches in this region seem to be rocky. It may surprise you to hear that we don’t think they are ALL bad.
Here’s why:
- When you play or just lay on a beach full of stones, you avoid getting sand everywhere! Those pesky sand particles seem to infiltrate inside and out. Right? And just when you think you have washed away the last grains of sand, you discover more in your hair or in your ear canals a few days later. Or maybe that’s just me.
- We do admit there are a few downsides to the pebble beaches. There’s the minor detail that you’re stepping on, well, rocks as you walk to and from the water. However, the entertainment that comes from watching others deal with this obstacle might cancel out this negative. The solution? Bring water shoes.
- Lastly, lying on rocks can be a bit cumbersome unless you’re looking to texture your skin. The solution here is to bring a pad, like the locals.
In summary, our assessment is that rocky beaches aren’t worse. They just require a different type of preparation.
2.
Nutritious and Delicious:
Do you ever feel that that USA could do a better job in promoting nutrition? Somehow, in our opinion, the grocery stores and government seem to fall short. How might we do a better job in providing health food to people living in the country with the largest economy in the world?
We could take some notes from what’s working in other countries. For example, we came across an interesting system, called Nutri-Score labeling.
In Europe, it quickly helps consumers determine how healthy food products are. The system grades products from “A” to “E” based on their content of sugar, proteins, fibers, proteins, and saturated fats. We actually noticed similar methods in some Central and South American countries as well.
Sure, it’s over simplified. However, at first glance, it seems like a similar system could help U.S. folks as they decide how to shop for groceries!
2 QUOTES TO CONSIDER
- “Eat the spaghetti to forgetti your regretti.”
- Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. -John Lennon
2 BRIEF STORIES
1.
A Cliff Jump That Was Nearly A Catastrophe
Everything else about the late afternoon was perfect. We were among fifty lively folks who were swimming, sunbathing, and having a great time. Blue skies. Sunshine. Stunning views in all directions.
But she just didn’t look right. Doubt written all over the face of this young Chinese tourist. She stood on an isolated rock shelf that stood over sixty feet above the water. High in the sky.
It wasn’t the first time someone had attempted a jump from this spot. Far from it. In fact, only a few minutes prior to her stepping up, a handful of experienced jumpers took turns jumping from the same exact spot. In their case, they took only few seconds to survey their landing spot before jumping confidently and landing successfully.
This was much different. The young woman had been standing up there for fifteen to twenty minutes. Alone. Several times she approached the edge of the cliff without jumping. In each instance, she backed away clumsily and crouched down low to feel the sure ground surface supporting her.
It made me uneasy. I was uncomfortable enough to swim out in the direction of the landing area, which was about thirty yards from the swimming area. Pretending not to pay attention, I was treading water in the area in case of emergency.
Eventually, she backed away again and sat down. She looked defeated. I figured that was the end of it, and decided to get out of the water. I felt happy she chose not to jump.
A few seconds later, out of the corner of my eye, I caught her awkwardly jumping off the cliff.
“Oh, no!, I thought.”
She had leaned way too far forward after the leap, and it was clear she was going to face plant or belly flop. The worst case scenario crossed my mind. “If someone doesn’t get to her fast, she may drown.”
Before she hit water, I immediately jumped back and swam her direction. Fortunately, there was a young man much closer than me who jumped to her rescue within a few seconds. The young woman was barely conscious, and gasping for breath when we arrived. She followed instructions to breathe as the young man helped her get to the shore.
Fortunately, she walked away with relatively minor injuries. She was both embarrassed and grateful after the incident. Perhaps it served as wake up call for her and many observers.
It would be easy to point at the young woman who chose to jump and label her with a long list of judgmental adjectives.
But the experience left me thinking about risk vs reward and the value of preparation and experience. It also reminded me of the many many times that friends, family, and complete strangers have rescued me when I took risks beyond my level of experience and preparation.
Humans. We are an incredible species and love to push the envelope. What an interesting opportunity we have to take turns playing unique roles in this process of evolution.
2.
Fritters For Farah:
In her usual fashion, Farah won over our host this week with her incredible radiant energy and enthusiasm. It didn’t matter that our host, Mara, couldn’t speak a lick of English. Why? Farah gave her a kiss on the cheek and blew her kisses after we were greeted with juice on a hot and sweaty afternoon. What an amazing first impression she made!
That initial connection paid off over the next few days as we received hugs, bruschetta, and the most delicious Zucchini Fritters on this planet. Proud husband here!
Thanks for tuning in to 2-2-2 Tuesday!
If you have any feedback, comments, or suggestions, we’d love to hear from you. Have a wonderful week.
– Zack and Farah
