Welcome to the Island View Café. If you recall, we changed the name of this bar – rather we gave this bar a name, it never had one before – to make it easier to have guests visit us. Some renovations were going to accompany the name change, but, oh let’s say “supply chain issues have prevented that from happening.” Despite the absence of a fancy marquee and a guy outside smacking a paddle ball ushering everyone inside, we are going to welcome our first guest of 2022. We’re also trying to satisfy Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt – in fact, I think we did that in the title. I think the title suits our guest very well.
“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is ‘fortune.’ Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!”
If we were having a beer, you would be trying to cash in on the fact that I’m buying in honor of our guest.
“When does our guest get here, Dan?”
“Natalie will be here in a few seconds, David. She has to clear Customs.”
“Customs? Where’s she coming from.”
“Canada.”
“Are you boys going to wait until she gets here to order?”
“I am Cheryl. I like ordering when we have guests because Dan buys from the top shelf.”
“John Howell’s Bourbon is pretty top-shelf stuff, David. You sure you want to trade?”
“It’s not often I get treated like a special guest, Cheryl. I’ll take my chances.”
“Well, I think she’s here. Welcome Natalie!”
“Thank you. Thank you, Dan, for inviting me here.”
“We are happy to have you join us today. This is David and Cheryl is our bartender today.”
“Hello David. Cheryl, it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Natalie. I know Dan is having a Corona. David is waiting to see what you have.”
“A non-alcoholic margarita, please.”
“Did she say na, na, non-alcoholic?”
“She did, David, and I make very nice one, if I do say so myself. I’ll be right back.”
“While we wait, I want to get started with the questions I have for Natalie. Your blog name, Natalie the Explorer is fun and interesting. Have you always been an explorer?”
“Yes, Dan, I have always been an explorer. I’m drawn to adventure stories in books, films and in real life such as ‘At One with The Sea,’ ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ ‘Star Trek,’ National Geographic articles, etc. Before the pandemic, I’ve had many travel adventures. During the pandemic, I’ve been exploring Toronto.”
“Star Trek? Oh, my goodness, Dan, she’s one of you.”
“Now David, be nice.”
“Here you go Natalie, a non-alcoholic Margarita, with a wedge of fresh lime, and here you go David.”
“Mmmm, Cheryl, this is delicious.”
“Thanks, we make our own sour mix here, and it’s the best.”
“Cheryl…you gave me three cherries on a napkin…what the…?”
“That’s a non-alcoholic John Howell’s Special, David. You wanted to go where the guest goes.”
“Speaking of where our guest goes, I am in awe of the list of countries you have visited, Natalie. Yours might be the first travel list I’ve seen that’s organized by continent. When do you think you will be at ease traveling again?”
“I’ll travel again when travel restrictions are lifted, Dan. At time of writing, the Government of Canada is advising travelers, regardless of their vaccination status, to avoid non-essential travel internationally. Within Canada, each province or territory has their own travel restrictions.”
“Where would you like to go?”
“That depends on where I can go, David. In Canada, I’d like to visit Newfoundland and Labrador. My international travel wish list is long. I hope to travel far (e.g. New Zealand) and frequently while I’m in good health.”
“Where would you recommend someone who has not traveled much internationally visit?”
“Dan, for someone who has not traveled much internationally, I’d recommend starting with a country where you’re fluent in the official language, you feel comfortable with how COVID-19 is managed at the destination, and there are frequent flights between your home country and your destination.”
“That sounds stress-free. That’s the way I like to travel.”
“Um, Cheryl, do you think I could drop down and have my regular drink today?”
“Of course, David. In the future, be careful what you wish for.”
“Natalie, you and I both began hosting a weekly blog challenge at about the same time. Most of the people who visit this bar are familiar with Thursday Doors, but please tell us about your Weekend Coffee Share, and how you came to be the host.”
“The Weekend Coffee Share linkup has been around since 2014 and had four hosts between 2014 and 2020. On January 1, 2021, Alli, at Eclectic Alli blog, decided to step away from hosting the weekly Weekend Coffee Share. I was a participant and volunteered to continue hosting it. I’m the fifth host.”
“Natalie, I don’t follow many blogs, and as you can see, I prefer sharing bourbon, but what do people share at the Weekend Coffee Share?”
“There’s nothing wrong with bourbon, David. Weekend Coffee Share is a weekly social event where bloggers share their news, random musings, stories, and photos.”
“How would someone like me find those posts?”
“Go to my site and click on the button to join the Inlinkz link party! You don’t have to post anything, but you can read all the other posts.”
“The post I read on your site that convinced me that I wanted to invite you here, Natalie was one where your talked about running your first ever food drive. People can read the post, but I’m curious about your motivation and how you overcame what had to be a certain trepidation about what seems like a daunting task under normal circumstances and even more so during a pandemic.”
“Thank you, Dan, for your kind words. I remember reading about Mazlow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how needs lower down in the hierarchy (e.g. food, shelter) must be satisfied before individuals can attend to needs higher up.
“When we have food insecurity in our community, it’s an issue that leads to more issues such as children unable to focus on learning, youths tempted by crime activities, family crisis, etc. My motivation was to bridge a service gap that I thought I could help.
“How I overcame a certain trepidation was to gather the facts. I sent a couple of email inquiries and discovered it was easy to set up a community food drive. Since I could run the food drive without making contacts with anyone, I felt safe to do it during the pandemic.
“The results exceeded what I hoped to achieve. Three hundred-fifty non-perishable and most needed food items (or value of CAD $1500) feed a family of four for at least one month. That’s something worth doing.”
“Natalie, you are also a voracious reader. I don’t know how you fit the level of reading into your already active life, but you do, so I’ll ask, what is your favorite thing about reading?”
“My favourite thing about reading is imagination. I read mostly fiction and I enjoy the book immensely when the words make me imagine I’m in a new place with new experiences.”
“Natalie, Dan, David, do you want another round?”
“I think one more round will be nice, Cheryl.”
“I’ll get them, Dan, but I have a question for Natalie.”
“What can I do for you Cheryl?”
“I read your page on Wellness, and I have to say, I’m impressed with your wellness routine. I do some of the things you mention. How long has this been a focus in your life?”
“Wellness has been a focus since my 20s. I’ve made changes to my fitness program as I age. I believe that from midlife on, a well-rounded fitness program has to address four components: Balance, mobility, strength and endurance (cardiovascular conditioning).”
“You mention this being your “current” list. Does it change often?”
“I change my list approximately every two years, Cheryl, although I make smaller changes in my exercises every four to six weeks. I like to rotate a variety of physical activities to keep my mind engaged and to use different muscles.”
“Natalie, it’s been fun. Thanks for helping us learn a little more about you, your blog and the Weekend Coffee Share.”
“Thank you, Dan, for a fun chat and for the drinks. Cheryl, you make the best margarita. I look forward to continuing our blogging connections.”
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