The Road Less Traveled

In Pursuit of Passion

Travel can teach you many things, but for me, the most exciting part was becoming part of a community and living life in a different country.

1. Scott Peck’s book The Road Less Traveled sold millions of copies and stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for over twenty years. I read it soon after it was published in 1977 and found it very inspirational. Its opening sentence, “Life is difficult,” is central to the message. Accepting this helps you grow and mature as you move through life. When you expect challenges, you can achieve more than when you assume everything will be easy.

As much as this book spoke to me, I didn’t realize that, as I journeyed through life, I would encounter so many of its hidden gems and words of wisdom firsthand. In fact, I’ve taken less-traveled roads so often that it’s almost become my mantra—to do what almost couldn’t, or in some cases, shouldn’t be done.

The Idea Boutique’s publishing, marketing, and advertising office in picturesque Clifden, County Galway, Ireland, was also designed by Gerald Burwell of Burwell Associates, Inc.

I first visited Ireland in the summer of ’77 with one of my sisters. We stayed with our grandmother, great-aunt, and great-uncle in a thatched cottage in Renvyle, County Galway, overlooking the wild Atlantic Ocean. It felt like stepping back in time, which was both exciting and a little scary. My mother thought we needed to get away from the plight of being American teenagers. She had spent her formative years living there and wanted to share her love of Ireland with us. As we were being shooed out the door, she said, “It will be good for you!”—her way of saying she hoped we wouldn’t fall prey to being, well, a teenager in the States. Feeling almost comatose from jet lag, we were greeted by “Grandma” and one of the few neighbors who owned a car. The four of us squeezed into a VW Beetle with our luggage for the four-hour drive to our summer home. The scenery was stunning: green hills, farmland bordered by old stone walls, and fields full of donkeys, horses, cattle, and sheep. We quickly adjusted and helped my uncle bale hay, watched him herd cows, and even saw two calves born one night that he named after my sister and me. We explored every day until almost midnight, since the sun sets late in summer. With our grandparents on my father’s side, we visited Galway and Dublin, met more family, explored ancient castle ruins, and saw the beautiful Cliffs of Moher. But we always loved coming back to Renvyle. We fell in love with the place and have fond memories of our relatives there. That first trip left a lasting impression that would influence many chapters of my life.

Many years later, after our mother passed away, my family inherited a real Irish stone cottage we called the “Maggie-Marty Cottage.” It had been passed down to our mother by her aunt Maggie, and now we were its caretakers. The memories from my first visit returned as we entered this new phase. At the time, we had been publishing VIE for six years, and I was heartbroken by my mom’s death. She brought light wherever she went, and everyone loved her gentle, kind spirit. I didn’t know how to handle my grief. I hoped that by creating something in Ireland, I could honor her and our ancestors, and share our love for this special place.

We opened a small satellite office of The Idea Boutique®, VIE’s publishing house, in the nearby town of Clifden. Our cozy office had a bubbling brook below the back window and a clear view of the town’s church bell tower. Opening this office was another step on my less-traveled road, blending family heritage with business pursuits. We started publishing Connemara Life magazine (ConnemaraLife.squarespace.com), which was published annually for four years. It was a wild ride that taught us a lot, and I really enjoyed it. We were grateful to be welcomed by the community—they called us the “yanks” or “blow-ins” and thought we were a bit crazy, but they appreciated our determination. Sadly, we closed the office in 2018 and sold it the following year. Looking back, I’m glad we did, since Covid-19 arrived just over a year after that.

Clara McSweeney wearing Christian Siriano and Surell Accessories at Ballynahinch Castle Hotel in Connemara, Ireland

Conducting business in a foreign country and having the bandwidth to travel extensively and often was a big undertaking. But I learned a lot and am a stronger person for having travailed. It was an experience I don’t regret and would do again given the chance. When you know from the get-go that life is hard, the challenges placed in front of you won’t always feel like impossibilities. If you view life as an adventure, you will win some and lose some. The moral to my story is—a fulfilling and exciting life won’t be found unless you seize it with all the gusto you can.

Seize life fully, savor each adventure, and celebrate the journey with passion, resilience, and heart.

To Life!

—Lisa Marie Burwell

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