Musings: The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys

Book Synopsis: Joseph Rosendo, the passionate, affable host of the Emmy-winning PBS series Joseph Rosendo’s Travelscope, invites readers to join him as he ventures to some of his favorite places on the planet in his inspirational new book, Musings – The Short Happy Pursuit of Pleasure and Other Journeys. Travel connoisseur, travel writer, motivational speaker, broadcaster and four-time Emmy-award winning director and host, Joseph’s Musings is a collection of informative, entertaining and inspirational 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. Many of Joseph’s Musings 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. Joseph discovered that writing about the stops along his own sojourn wasn’t much different than writing a travel story. The final destination is always clear, but what will happen along the way is not. Both adventures include brief stops where you pick up things that you may use later on in the trip. Some of these things are a burden and have to be dumped, but most come in handy. Joseph proposes that if you are 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. Instead you must commit yourself to the adventure 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,” adds Joseph. Joseph’s tales take readers on a journey of discovery. In choosing the stories, composing the introductions and selecting the book’s images Joseph 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. Joseph’s meditations may amuse, anger or touch the reader, but whatever the case, it’s a joy to join him on the ride.