1000 Places to See Before You Die… by Helen McLain

There was a year when my life was put on hold. There was a long winter and a long illness. I could not walk, every breath was difficult and I felt like I was losing hope on a good outcome. In my house, everything was arranged for me so that I could reach it from a wheelchair – my small refrigerator, my microwave oven, my oxygen machine. My bath was converted for a disabled person and someone had to help me with food and medications. I was trapped at home, surrounded by the trappings of the illness, and tried to find sources of positive emotions and optimism in my surroundings. I found a source of inspiration in a book by Patricia Schultz: 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Thinking of future exotic travels, I coloured my home world.