Stephen Bigelow, PhD - Education Leadership

  I spent last week in Lisbon, one of those rare cities that feels both instantly comfortable and endlessly fascinating. My daughter joined me for a few days before we continued on to my place in Brazil. We wandered through the tiled neighborhoods, ate more pastries than I will publicly admit, and discovered that the best parts of Lisbon often appeared when we stopped trying to find them. The city itself was warm and welcoming, and every time I attempted to speak Portuguese, people would smile kindly and immediately switch to flawless English. At some point near the end of the trip, as we stepped out of an Uber, I noticed something felt off. It took about thirty seconds to understand what it was. My phone was not with me. I looked in every pocket, double checked my bag, looked again, and felt that slow sinking realization you get only when something important is suddenly gone. The Uber was already turning the corner and taking my phone, wherever it was wedged or tucked, with it. I ...

  Yesterday was one of those days when the sun's intensity got the best of me. I had pushed my workout further than I should have, something that happens more often than I care to admit. At 50, I still think like I’m 25 until my back, or some random muscle I didn’t know existed, reminds me otherwise. My mind might still be in its prime, but my body keeps the receipts. That’s when I stumbled upon a green oasis, a street vendor selling caldo de cana , or sugarcane juice. I’d seen the vendors everywhere, standing beside large steel presses that turn raw stalks of cane into juice. This time, I stopped out of exhaustion and desperation. The vendor fed two sugar canes into the press, added a bit of ginger, and squeezed in some lime. The result? The ultimate Brazilian energy drink! Refreshing, natural, and packed with more sugar than my body probably needs, but now I’m hooked. It’s hard not to fall in love with these simple things that Brazil does so well. Another one is Pix , the count...

  Tonight I’m at another Bahia match, this time against a team from São Paulo that’s lower in the standings. Hopefully things go our way. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t, and how you handle the unexpected is what really matters. A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those days where everything seemed to go wrong. I was putting a glass door back on its track at work when it shattered over my head. It was nothing serious, just a few cuts and a big mess. Later that day, my dog and I got stuck in the elevator. I had to figure out how to call for help and describe the problem in Portuguese over the elevator phone. All that on top of a tough workday. The next week? Completely different story. Three incredible days of strategic planning that left me inspired, and an invitation to play in a local tennis tournament after a relaxed evening hitting balls with new friends. (I’m not good, but I said yes anyway.) It reminded me of that Jim Carrey movie where he just says “yes” to everythin...