Verisimilitude

Verisimilitude.  It means a slice of life; an event so real it appears to defy reality.

Since I first came across this word years and years ago I have aimed to let that word define me, define the chapters of my life.  I lead a colorful life.  I have a natural curiosity that leads me into sometimes extreme situations.  I travel.  A lot.  And when I do it is typically to places not frequented by tourists because I love experiencing cultures so far from my own that they appear outright alien to me...at first.  This presents my favorite challenge - finding a way to relate to someone who seems completely unrelatable to me.  There are some who call my innate curiosity naivety, and some who call it fearlessness.  I guess I understand both views, but I still go with simple "curiosity".

What does this have to do with "verisimilitude"?  Well, throughout my travels and my colorful little life I've collected a series of stories that, I feel, exemplify this word to it's fullest.  And I plan on writing about them in posts to come, so this is the "intro" so to speak.  It sounds silly, but when I picture this word I see a rainbow with pie-piece-shaped slices removed, and each of these slices is one of my memories; one of my stories.  I'm a very visual person...

What's to follow in these stories of my sometimes surreal life? Here are a few previews:

• That time my guardian angel (or whatever you wanna call it) saved my life;
• That time a mob of Muslim extremists swarmed around me screaming "you will die today";
• That time I met a life-long friend while wandering lost 100 yards out to sea;
• That time I ate some magical mushrooms and demons came out to play.

Stay tuned; I'm excited to share!