These may be small steps, but a journey is not composed solely of leaps. Yes, you can drive yourself crazy trying to avoid sponsoring any business whose policies differ from your own, but when the commitment to celebrate hatred is cheered so loudly, you owe it to yourself to walk your wallet out the door. One American value is undeniably true: the votes you make with your money are counted.
travel
Switching my tiara for a miner’s helmet in Berchtesgaden, Germany
There will be no photos of me wearing the miner’s outfit I donned for the salt mine tour in Berchtesgaden, Germany, as the ensemble is not exactly befitting the royal status of your Weekend Duchess. However, sliding down the shafts well beneath the surface of the earth with a crowd of German family tourists was easily one of my favorite travel experiences, unglamorous as it was. Sometimes your duchess weekends at Lake Como searching for George Clooney, but sometimes she needs to tunnel into the salt mines, too!
Falling into a canal in Venice
I later learned that Lord Byron, one of my heroes, also fell into the canal while fleeing the angry husband of one of his lovers. While that was some comfort, I’m guessing the water was slightly cleaner in his day than in mine, as he was also fond of the occasional intentional swim out to the Lido. Still, I like to think that he would be proud that I managed not to drop my wallet.