Patmians are used to people coming and going, so their goodbyes tend to be very pragmatic. Nonetheless they assume someone who has come as often as me and stayed for

I wake up angry. If I’m angry. I’m not always angry, to be clear. But I’m always angriest when I start my day. Not at the very first moment, but

"You're hurting, you're in pain!" Maria said as soon as she saw it and with such heartfelt compassion. "Tell me, why does your wife want a divorce?" I went into

This week is like God flipped a switch and Patmos turned on to its full summer glory. With temperatures in the upper 70's, gentle breezes and warmer water, Patmos is

For the last time this journey, my alarm went off at 5:40 am. The last Wednesday night of the month is Temple Etz Chaim's Board of Directors meeting. I have

"Here in Greece, we like Armenians. They are a very nice people, very good people. And they also were treated horribly by the Ottomans just as we were." Jimmy's wife

For a couple of years I went to my local CPY studio – which specializes in hot yoga – until October of last year when some of my favorite teachers

Most days of the week there's a cruise ship visiting Patmos at least once a day if not two or three times. Twice is typical. They come in various sizes

I awoke to peace. No groundskeepers doing last minute projects before the prime tourist season. No cruise ship in the harbor. All that could be heard was the sounds of

"I love the blog daddy" appeared in my email last night at 12:13 PM PDT. Sennen had left a comment on the Our Family Everywhere blog that I maintain when

A sign in the main square of Skala, right in front of the Post Office, solicits donations for the Health Center. Apparently, like most hospital, the Health Center has a

In 2010 and 2014 we never cooked a meal here on Patmos. Nicholas put a hot plate in our little studios so Emily could make coffee in the morning –

It comes as no surprise that a small town with narrow winding paths and unexpected pockets would have its hidden secrets. With longer, warmer, sunnier days and increasing activity on

The chaos in town was almost inexplicable. Only one small cruise ship was in town yet not only was parking tight, but people were both walking and driving erratically –

"I think our island is like a virus. Some people catch the virus and they love it and come back again and again. I think you have caught that virus!"

Except for Stelios, who doesn't care much what anyone is doing, the proprietors and staff of my favorite establishments show a restrained curiosity about why I come for lunch between

Technically, Hora is the "capitol" of Patmos – the town with the seat of governance. Historically, this makes sense as the monastery built in the 11th century was the basis

The days are becoming sunnier and longer. The extremely pleasant temperature still hanging in the 69-70 range is short about 15 degrees of its full summer peak, but the signs

The fire truck arrived about two weeks ago. It was brought in the night by ferry and then parked next to the port – sent by the regional prefecture government

The bells began ringing throughout the island at 7am. They rang again from every church of every size several times throughout the morning – without any interval or pattern I

I'm now down to three weeks left in Greece. From a starting point of 10 weeks, it doesn't seem like much, but then I remind myself the summer we brought

On Friday while I wrote at Stelios', a Swiss couple and their two young girls sat at the table across from mine. The oldest girl couldn't have been more than

Today I'm sitting at Sand N' Sea – one of the three tavernas at Kampos Beach and the one I've never tried. It has the worst location – closest to

Below my house is the small and little attended beach of Aspri. It's not organized with chairs like the popular Agriolivadi and Kampos, it has dark gravely sand and one

"People ask me, isn't it so boring here? There's nothing to do!" Michaelis explained. "But they're crazy! There's so much to do here! You can fish, you can swim, you

"Can you imagine leaving the house and everything is normal and then on your way home, you find seven donkeys you've never seen eating grass on the side of the

It's become clear to me that, "How's business?" or "How's your business doing?" are not very Greek questions. Not only is this a common question among Americans, but it's actually

Yesterday two cruise ships were in town. Today one high-end smaller yacht-style cruise ship that typically holds about 180 people was floating at the edge of the island. Passengers –

Because we were both Americans and had walked in at the same time, the gyro and grill restaurant owner understandably confused us for being together. To make matters more confusing

Doing yoga even days a week means certain areas get sore by the end of the week. It actually varies by what's going on in my body – which frontiers

Atmos on Kampos Beach was known for years as George's – a casual cafe that acted as the social hub of the most family-oriented beach on the island. Kampos, wide,

Middle school-aged students in their school athletic uniforms gathered at the port, large backpacks and wheeling suitcases in hand. A flock of adults huddled around – presumably a combination of

The Inner Committee has been in session for days breaking only here and there for rest. There's so much to figure out and the issues so complex – the outcomes

I was having dinner with two visiting nurse managers when I heard the crack. We were at Chijmes, a French abbey in the middle of the city renovated into one

The bells of the monastery rang repeatedly and long, calling an end to Orthodox Easter. At around 12:30 pm, groups with suitcases in hand migrated to the port taking the

I've been reduced to parking in the public lot on the other side of the Chris Hotel – and struggling to find a space at that. It's the fourth day

After prayer and loud, Gregorian-style chanting that pure down from the Apocalypsi – the amphitheater over the Cave of the Apocalypse – fireworks began around 10:30pm and went on if

It's not often you wake up thinking about chickpeas, but today I did. Flisvos reopened on Thursday and next to Ktima Petra (literally) is my other favorite restaurant on Patmos.

The bells have been ringing all day – I'm not even sure why sometimes when people are neither entering or exiting the churches. Orthodox Good Friday in Patmos is no

On a small island, little things matter. The reawakening of the island to tourism means that today Ktima Petra, one of my favorite restaurants has reopened and is where I'm

The morning is as quiet and still as Bali. While the water just outside my door quietly shimmers in the sun, smooth as a swimming pool, the air moves gently

I heard the rustle while writing. Usually I write sitting at a cafe or taverna, but I had trouble waking up so I decided to write first, do yoga second

Last night, Emily called struggling over a promise she and I had made several months ago to our au pair, Alex that she had since rethought. I won't go into

As I brought home my take-out gyros, I could see it coming from the horizon. A wall of fog and mist was headed from the direction of Leros over to

At one time, blue was one of the most challenging colors to capture for paint and any kind of art. Two of the worlds most expensive materials – lapis lazuli

They just walked up to me while I was working. Four of them just stood there and stared at me. I was minding my own business, sitting at the table

The road crews that have torn up a solid, wide line throughout every road on the island – as well as the middle of the town square – now have

For the past seven years, I've been an avid reader – or maybe more of a listener. Time to sit and read became scarce but time in the car could

The Greek weather and I seem linked. For a few days, it was warm and sunny. Then, suddenly on Sunday, it remained pretty, but cold enough that I retreated to

It's not often that your car rental person is one of your favorites, but Dimitris is one of mine. He could almost be a character out of Seinfeld or a

The fate of postwar Greece was far from certain. As the Iron Curtain fell in Eastern Europe – the Soviet Union's version of a buffer zone between itself and an

Two horses graze on the fields next to my compound. They are tied to a particular area of the field and every day or two, their grazing zone moves as

Helios returned – possibly coming over from nearby Rhodes, an island he personally claimed as it was created. Yesterday was dominated by rain and cold winds – so much so

During our year of travel after getting married, there came a day in Allepey, Kerala (India) as we walked along the edge of the backwaters up toward the footpaths that

The idea of Spring Cleaning exists in some form throughout the Western World. It makes sense that after a long, cold winter of people mostly inside, homes, villages and towns

During our 2019 stay, the schools here on Patmos were closed for summer break. While the elementary school was just down the hill from our house and we passed it

As a result of research he conducted on IBM employees in Europe in the late 1960's and early 1907's, Dutch social psychologist Geert Hofestede developed his Cultural Dimension Theory. Initially

Of the islands of my life, Bali is the most unique. It's not altogether clear if Bali exists in secular space and time. Days can zip by or move incredibly

From poor to mega-wealthy, irrespective of ethnicity, geography, gender, sex, religion, sexuality, age and anything else you can find as a classification to divide us – we all face problems.

The wind began blowing wildly last night and hasn't stopped since. This warm wind is confusing to a Los Angelino who knows warm winds to be dry and coming from

My work hours here are 4pm to midnight. Those aren't strict because I often do some emails or online work in spurts during my day – and once in awhile

Sennen's second word was car (his first word was baby – which he said about himself when looking in the mirror). While here on Patmos at age 15 months, it

As I was walking up the hill toward my house Sunday, a donkey rounded the bend and was coming down the road toward me. A man with a rope followed,

My mom is excellent at remembering what's going on with people and checking in. She never misses someone's birthday and if she knows they're sick or going through something, she

"Did you go out for dinner?" my boss, Matt texts me. "Is there anywhere with live music you can go enjoy?" my Dad asks me. "What have you been up

Was it a large yacht or a small cruise ship at the port? I've seen both here in Patmos before. It didn't matter that much because it could mean only

In today's world we are increasingly able to tell stories as they happen. Smartphones, GoPros, documentaries, "embedded" reporters in wars, social media, real-time communications. Unlike any other time in history,

While work and cold winds have kept me at home more than I would prefer, my brief outings around Skala (the main town of Patmos) have left me curious. For

My friend Alex once said that I have a talent for picking places to live with a view or some charm. While that hasn't been the case every time, I

As I stood there with the constant warning alarm going off watching the giant ferry pull backward toward the cement dock, I could only think that ferry captains should be

"When bulls fight, it's the little animals who get hurt – and we are the little animals!" my first taxi driver said to me. "This was in Ukraine is about

Waking up at the exact time your body wants to go to sleep is always a challenge. I managed to get a good seven hours last night, but just as

Somewhere between Zurich and Athens, the muscles of my neck and shoulders began to loosen and things began popping. I wasn't thinking about anything particularly calming and nothing had really

A week from tomorrow begins a ten-week journey of a very new kind. I will leave for Patmos, Greece – which in itself is far from a new journey. But