I’m good at looking forward. I like to set goals and strategize. I enjoy dreaming and planning and striving. Every time I reach a goal, three more goals take its place. Every time I climb to the top of a hill, I see a bigger hill and wonder what the view would be like from there. The hills become mountains and I’m beginning to think I just like climbing mountains.

I’m not so good at looking back. Karen and I have been married for almost three decades, now. She is our historian. She remembers the important dates. She acknowledges milestones, maintains traditions and holds the fabric of our shared history together as I plan our next trip.

As much as I lean toward “what’s next,” I also recognize the need to remember where we have been. To take a moment to pause and reflect on the path we have traveled and what we’ve seen along the way.

That’s why we’re having a party.

Ten years ago, I did the first interview for A Peace of My Mind. On April 16, 2008, I sat down with Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb to have a conversation about peace. It was the start of a journey that would lead me across the country, introduce me to amazing people and feed my passion for using stories and art to connect people.

This small, whimsical idea has grown into a movement beyond anything I could have imagined, and that’s something worth celebrating.

I hope you can join us in Minneapolis on Tuesday night, April 9, 2019 to celebrate at Squirrel Haus Arts. We’ll share stories of where we’ve been and some of the things that we’ve learned along the way. Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb…that very first person I interviewed…has agreed to join me on stage for Peace Interview 2.0. I’ll ask her why on earth she agreed to that first interview ten years ago, what it was like on that side of the microphone, and we’ll talk about how her ideas of peace have changed since then. We’ll also be graced with the music of Neal Hagberg to move us through the evening.

I’m worried all you Twin Cities people will look at the Squirrel Haus Arts address, see “Snelling” and run over to St. Paul…but don’t do it! Squirrel Haus Arts is in Minneapolis and their website has a nifty map.

Our American Stories exhibit will be installed at Squirrel Haus Arts, so come early or stay late to take in some of the stories from our 40,000 mile trip across the country, asking people, “What does peace mean to you?”

Doors will open at 6pm. Program starts at 7pm. We should wrap up about 8:30pm and then we’ll hang out and visit for a while.

We will provide a few light snacks. It’s BYOB, so you can bring your beverage of choice for yourself or to share with a friend. It’s free. It’s open to the public. It’s a casual evening, so come as you are. Come as you want to be.

I say “we” and “us” a lot when I talk about A Peace of My Mind, because all of you have offered so much encouragement and support over this past decade. You’ve nudged me along when I’ve been tired and offered clarity when the path was foggy. It would warm my heart if you could join us to celebrate what we’ve accomplished in these past ten years…and…because it’s me…to look forward to where we’ll go next.