Travel writer, broadcaster and four-time Emmy(R)-award winning director and host Joseph Rosendo's Musings - The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys is a collection of informative, entertaining and uplifting stories about travel and life's other pleasurable pursuits for which we all yearn. It is a touching and often-humorous journey through a life propelled by a passionate and compassionate view of the world. It is written in a conversational tone that captures the heart and soul of the author and reveals his deep connection to the travel experience, especially as a path to pleasure, enlightenment and cultural connections.
The stories were originally written for Joseph's Musings column in the Travelscope magazine, which appeared in print from 1985 to 2002, and is now online at Travelscope.net. Joseph had always promoted "The Art of Travel" and spoken of "Travel As A Life-Changing Experience" at travel shows, wellness expos, embassies, schools, coffee shops, bus stops and street corners around the world. The column was a place for Joseph to safely expound on about whatever he wanted and since his ramblings often connected formerly unrelated events, topics, concepts and ideas - Musings seemed like the perfect name for them.
Some of the musings, particularly the early ones, are directly related to travel. They offer how-to tips on bargaining, packing, planning and other nuts-and-bolts travel issues. Others are less solidly connected to travel as an activity, and explore topics such as Joseph's childhood travels, his year of spring, his Cuban grandparents, his quest for the holy platter, his brunch-conquering brother and other happenings. These musings describe Joseph's personal journey, touching on many topics, but the voyage, the passage, is always the subtext.
To his surprise Joseph discovered that writing about the stops along his own sojourn wasn't much different than writing a travel story. The final destination was always clear, but what would happen along the way was not. Both adventures included brief stops where he picked up things that he could use later on the trip. Some of these things were a burden and had to be dumped, but most of them came in handy.
Joseph discovered that if you were to happily survive both - travel and life - you should keep your sense of humor and be as adaptable as possible. And that you should never, never ever, isolate yourself from the experience and just observe from a place apart - sightseeing, if you will. Instead you must commit yourself to what's happening and relish the good, the bad and the ugly of it. "May you live all the days of your life," said author Jonathan Swift. "And may you savor the journey along the way," Joseph adds.
Joseph's hope is that his tales will take readers on a journey of discovery. Choosing the stories, composing the introductions and selecting the book's images were a rite of passage for him. In the process of resurrecting the writings, illustrations and photos, he has wandered through past days, events and relationships and dug up manifestations of himself long forgotten. The reader benefits from an experience that proved humbling and illuminating, as well as reaffirming and reassuring. If Joseph's meditations anger, amuse or touch the reader, he's happy. If they don't, he understands, but is still pleased to have you along for the ride.