Happy Birthday Moleskinerie

Yesterday I created my personalized Google page and put Moleskinerie.com in my bookmarks. It is a brilliant website honoring the thoughts and sketches of journalers the world over. Their creator, Armand, has been kind to me and Written Road, and when I went to check in with them this morning I found out they just celebrated their second birthday. Thinking about that, I remembered my first Moleskine.

It came from one of their fans who worked closely with them, Craig Miles. Thinking about Craig, I started looking for him. But there were no links on Moleskinerie for Craig’s website. I feared the worst, and thankfully because of Google, was able to find out that Craig passed away last year.

Craig ran the Byreturnpost website, which is no longer there as well as the Chemo Chronicles, which is also no longer available. But I knew Craig from Byreturnpost and Molskinerie. He was passionate about traditional hand written letters even though he was an accomplished blogger. Our correspondence began in March 2004 through a Moleskinerie blogging connection.

It was one of those things that happens on the web. You find people with a common interest, and then surprisingly, a common link. Craig and I had commented to each other about our respective sites, but then found more. Here is part of our early connection.

As I mentioned, I enjoy the writtenroad.com. Even though my travels are limited to between the hills of southern California and San Juan island in Washington, travel literature is a favorite. I recently finished The Kindness of Strangers — a wonderful and inspiring book. I also stumbled across A Woman’s Path: Women’s Best Spiritual Travel Writing, not realizing you are an editor on the book as a gift for my mother-in-law who is travel to Nepal and Tibet in the fall as a retirement gift.

At that time in 2004 I was in Europe editing Whose Panties Are These? and getting ready to take a three week Eurail trip for Student Traveler. Craig sent me the Moleskine and we stayed in touch for a little while. I’d like to take this time to remember his positivity, and affection for travel and travel writing. He’s off on another journey now and I’ve enjoyed thinking about, and rereading these old emails.

When I met Craig online he had been through his 45th cycle of chemotherapy, and told me that the had first been diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1985. I can’t imagine how many he went through by the time he passed.

The day I got his Moleskine, I had been to a job interview. Here was his advice:

You are right, all good things take work and are ultimately worth it, especially if it is the one thing that you’ve been waiting for or never imagined would be offered to you.

I always find interviews to be weird experiences, but it sounds like it
went well and that steps to take to make this a reality.

I don’t know if this applies, but, what the hell. When I talk with
newly diagnosed cancer patients, one of the quotes that I use is from
Rilke:

“You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall.”

Take some deep breaths and go after that dream. Good luck with the rest
of the process. —March 31, 2004

The email that followed this one got deep. It’s funny how life can do that. I guess I’ve thought of them as “messengers” for a long time now. It happens. You open yourself up to a stranger, and a world of fullness breathes in and out of you. I shared my dream with Craig, and he shared his with me. I’m going to select a portion of the correspondence that I believe we can all benefit from. No matter the context we were talking about, it can easily apply to anyone’s dreams.

It does sound golden — once in a lifetime. There is nothing that says this door that’s starting to open may not somehow lead to that ultimate dream. The dream’s time/place maybe not be now — but that doesn’t mean its not valid or possible.

There is certainly an element of faith here. Faith in yourself and in the future. You have a strong sense of self and where you want to be — maybe its time to just take a few breaths, go for a walk and do all that you can for this opportunity, so no matter how is turns out, you’ll know that you did everything you could.

Yet, keep the dream alive. Keep rolling it around in your head before you fall asleep. Life is a continually changing and exciting experience.

Thank you for listening, Craig. I liked your quote. And now for the next step, patience. Faith.

Yes, patience, faith and I’d add hope. Hope in our dreams.

We shared our last back and forth correspondence with each other in May of 2004. He talked about Buddhist studies and a possible trip to Tibet. Then, later that summer he sent an update about his trip to the San Juan Islands, a place that he had dreamed about finding.

Craig was inspired and uplifted by Pico Iyer. He was at Distant Lands looking for a book by Pico that wasn’t quite out yet. Then, took time to enjoy the simple things.

Lunch was refreshing – souchong-smoked chicken and a cup of Mao Feng tea and I was a happy guy.

I’d like to end this rememberance with his April 4, 2004 words as I was off on another journey.

Have a great trip and be safe.

Sounds like life is being life — rich and full, challenging and up-lifting.

Anyway, be well, keep a strong heart and travel with peace and grace!

— Craig

Lets all take that with us on our next trip. And of course, take a Moleskine with you, too. Thank you, Moleskinerie. Thank you, Craig.