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Minds Without Borders

A thoughtful look at how culture, society, politics, media and economics affect us all.

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MARRIAGE

How the Women in Our Lives Are Brave and Wonderful and Make Happiness Possible

Reflecting on my first trip to Machu Picchu with the woman who would become my wife

7 min readJun 14, 2024

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Walter and his wife
Image by Walter Rhein

Of all my wife’s attributes, the one that impresses me most is her courage. Even sometimes when she looks happy and is laughing, she demonstrates tremendous strength. In children’s books we talk of brave men who face death with a twinkle in their eye, or who ride off with a laugh to battle dragons. In real life, it’s women who truly embody fearlessness.

In place of violence they are armed with kindness, elegance and grace.

We met in Lima, Peru where we were both teachers at a private school. At heart, I was a backpacker, but I’d taken the school job out of an intuitive sense that I needed to establish a better sense of direction.

It seemed like I’d been adrift for most of my life. It felt as if I needed to decide on a purpose. I suspected I might find that purpose in teaching, and in a way I did.

The woman who would be my wife joined the school midway through the year. She was a replacement for a teacher who left. Even in that my wife was brave. It’s not easy to step in mid-year after all the orientation programs are over and the…

Minds Without Borders
Minds Without Borders

Published in Minds Without Borders

A thoughtful look at how culture, society, politics, media and economics affect us all.

Walter Rhein
Walter Rhein

Written by Walter Rhein

Certified English and physics teacher. Editor, journalist, illustrator and novelist. [email protected]

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