Friday, October 31, 2008

What do Facebook and Peru have in common?

I recently created a Facebook page for myself. My kids were mortified, and I was reluctant at first, but I’ve been having the best time with it. I’ve heard from former colleagues I haven’t seen in a decade and friends I see all the time. Now I’m aware of their every move: “Frederica is watching TV and eating twinkies, wondering how much snow we’re going to get this winter . . . ”

Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with the women in the The List, too, to keep them posted about events and to thank them again for sharing their stories with me. I heard back from a lot of the women within a day or two, but not Liz Becker. Come to find out she was in Peru, leading a group of women on a hike to Machu Picchu. She was planning this excursion, a “women’s leadership journey,” when I interviewed her for The List. She wrote me the other day to say:

We had 10 women, plus me. Age range 40-58. There were also 2 local guides who just went with the flow as we met each day to discuss our "big projects" and our individual and group strengths. I was in my sweet spot. There were so many "can only be described as grace" moments. . . . And then the amazing and totally doable trek. 38 miles over 5 days with luxury lodges to hold us each night. Spectacular mountain vistas and CONDORS! THIS is something that I must keep doing!

She’s already set two dates for 2009: July 15 and Sept 29. Further confirmation that travel (especially with a group of interesting, passionate women) will indeed shake up your life.

2 comments:

Andie East said...

This is so totally awesome! I adore facebook and think it's a great way to connect to people and to just have fun. Love the story about Peru.

Thanks Gail!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Liz is fantastic. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from her! I'll have to touch base in a little while to see how her sailing certification is coming along.(Liz, if you see this, keep me posted!)