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> Posted by Brian A. Clancy, Chair, CFI Advisory Council

It’s impossible to know in advance if a trip will really move us – that is disrupt our expectations and breach our emotional defenses. Some trips with great promise are barely recalled a month later, while others with modest goals can change the way we see the world. In many cases the difference comes down to a single moment – a deep experience of authenticity that’s somehow both highly specific and universal. But before I get any further into that, I have some self-centered complaining to do.

Heading into a recent trip I just wasn’t in the mood to board another plane. However I was on the very threshold of acceptance when I heard the bad news. I would be in the air for the kickoff of pro football’s “game of the year” – the playoff between my local team (the Patriots) and the Tebowmania-fueled Broncos. For all my efforts to keep a stiff upper lip, my mood turned decidedly dark. Sure, our gracious host, award winning Ecuadorian MFI Banco D-Miro, was doing important work, but didn’t the world being flat mean we could do this whole thing by video conference and reduce our carbon footprint to boot? And come to think of it, isn’t the weather in Guayaquil this time of year hot, humid and wet? My inner curmudgeon (who is a big football fan) had clearly gained the upper hand. Read the rest of this entry »