It was a cold November day just like this one 25 years ago when I ran away from home. We walked over rail road tracks and under rail cars to get out of the last town in Romania where people didn’t ask questions. The fields were frozen and walking was hard but after a while you got used to it. I still remember the big, bright moon! It was perfect, lit the night and the North Start showed us the way.

We walked all night, jumped the border fences and left our footprints in no one’s land. Continued walking through Yugoslavian land all morning and after a long bus ride to Belgrade and an even longer train ride from there to Maribor, we made it to the western part of Yugoslavia. I remember starting to walk over the Alps at 6am. It was a Sunday morning and nobody was up that early. We didn’t make it over the mountains until the evening and we finally arrived in Austria the following morning. Austria was the first free country from the Eastern Block so you were safe if you made it there…

As I sit here enjoying a cup of coffee I can’t help but smile at my fearless self at 17 years old! Ever since, the challenges have been endless but my attitude has not changed! Life is good and it’s a great day to be alive!