Wishbone

In the spirit of Eat, Pray, Love, Carol Folbre's story is the journey of a young, suburban Texas woman's path to self-discovery at the end of the twentieth century. Raised modestly in a single-parent home and newly married, she and her husband embarked on a journey that morphed into an 18-month implosion, reassessment, and rediscovery of the core skills, values, and presumptions she had been taught and closely held.

Travels across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, and Russia were of course replete with challenge and adventure. Travel by foot, plane, passenger and industrial rail, bus rooftop, riverboat, bicycle, camelback, and donkey cart landed her in places she'd never imagined, introduced to centuries- and millennium-old cultures she only learned about in books. Residing in yurts, hostels, monasteries, tea houses, and other makeshift accommodations along the way, she was intentionally and, often, by surprise introduced to people who captivated her. What started as a headstrong journey driven by a western tourist's somewhat entitled curiosity turned into a progression of discovery, unknown norms and value systems, and deeply personal reconsideration of all she has been previously taught. She learned the value of getting lost and loving surprises, being quiet and listening deeply, and finding strength in the unknown all while coming to understand the importance of historical, cultural, spiritual, and political diversity.

Throughout she journaled and illustrated her travels with the people she met. What emerged for Folbre was a framework to rethink her view of the world and how to embrace a commitment to continued lifelong learning. She adopted a journey-over-destination and process-over-product perspective in life, recognizing a way of thinking and living that holds as many questions as answers, is never truly complete, and can be genuinely beautiful.