One Insight: A Few Inches, A Different Hemisphere
Travel, especially later in life, has a way of recalibrating assumptions.
During a recent visit to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, I found myself standing at 0.0° latitude — exactly on the equator. A few inches one way, and you are in the Northern Hemisphere. A few inches the other, and you are in the Southern. North becomes South. Direction shifts.
The lesson wasn’t geographic. It was about perspective.
Small shifts matter.
Later that week, we shared lunch in the home of a remote Kichwa family in the Amazon. Everything served had been grown or raised by the family. No excess. Nothing unnecessary. The welcome was warm and unguarded.
Our guide, Alfredo, grew up in the rainforest until age 13. His knowledge of plants, birds, and medicinal properties was lived experience. He and his brother now help sponsor a one-room school for indigenous children deep in the forest. Kindergarten through 8th grade share a single classroom. Recently, flooding washed away a play area the community had built before relocating the school to higher ground.
It was hard not to feel both admiration and humility.
During that visit, I purchased a simple a bracelet of San Pedro wooden beads — a reminder of water and renewal. It brought to mind a book I read years ago: Water Bears No Scars by David Reynolds.
Water flows.
Water adapts.
Water moves around obstacles.
Water bears no scars.
The second half of our journey took us to the Galápagos Islands, where we walked across hardened lava from eruptions more than a century ago. What once felt catastrophic eventually became stable ground.
We hiked. We snorkeled among sea turtles and sea lions. The ocean requires both alertness and calm. You cannot overpower it; you move with it.
Active travel later in life is not about adrenaline. It is about remaining capable — physically engaged, mentally flexible, open to awe.
From the equator’s dividing line to volcanic rock and open sea, one quiet truth followed me home:
Growth does not stop at retirement.
It deepens when we remain curious.
Longevity is not only about adding years.
It is about expanding awareness.
🌿 One Resource
I’ve invited Alfredo to join me on a future podcast to explore indigenous knowledge and environmental stewardship. If you’re interested in culturally grounded travel experiences in Ecuador or the Amazon, I’m happy to share his contact information privately.
🧭 One Invitation
Where might a small shift expand your own awareness this year?
It may not require crossing hemispheres.
Perhaps it’s a new environment.
A new conversation.
A new physical challenge.
Or a renewed willingness to adapt.
Water bears no scars.
We can practice moving that way, too.
Photo courtesy of our guide, Alfredo, Ecuador.
Dr. Joseph M. Casciani is a geropsychologist, author, and founder of the Living to 100 Network. He creates resources and programs designed to support psychologically healthy aging, including the Better, Longer & Happier card deck series and the Living to 100 Community. Explore more at LivingTo100.solutions and LivingTo100.community.