Crossing the Date Line by John Sollo

For those of us who sit around and wish our lives were more...more of what? Exciting? Adventurous? Gritty? Worthwhile? ... this is the book that showed me that some regular, but truly good and caring folks really do get up and out of their "comfort zones" and use their many skills to truly make a difference in the world. I loved this book because of the amazing story it tells of a talented geologist who could have stayed in the financial and social comfort of the corporate world here in the U.S., but decided instead to take assignments in places I wouldn't have wanted to visit, much less work and live in for months and years at a time. What shines through over and over again is how important adaptability, risk-taking, kindness and humor, in addition to a wonderful devotion to and appreciation of one's profession, can be ... John writes as if this was not just his job, but also his calling. A really uplifting, special read. Highly recommended.