July's Gift of a Day

It is the last day of July and it was a very good day. There are "these days", the days that just do not disappoint. Days that feel good. Momma said- bottle that feeling, tuck that away for the days that do not feel like this.  Today I savor and share and post to the blog.

The day was launched yesterday- a full work day, wrapped up with a lovely dinner with friends, Joe and Peter at MCC and then watching Ted Lasso, season 2!  A day with a call from Clare (camp counselor), a very happy letter from Sally (in week 5 at camp as LIT) and a posted picture capturing Sally and the LITs in camp contentedness. 

I woke up early ready to go and grateful for the energy to start the final draft of my exit essay for my graduate school class. It has been an amazing summer session. The Global Exchange has provided an important perspective and many ah-has. I have enjoyed working on the final paper reflecting and connecting. Connecting not just the course work modules but the program's studies. I'd like to take my first class over again with this group of classmates from the US and Hamburg, Germany.  It really is pleasing to have school work flow and for me it does happen on weekends in the mornings.

I took a break and went to the Granville Chamber of Commerce's Farmer's Market.  Markets at this time of year are pretty spectacular.  I bought corn, peaches, flowers, rhubarb, tomatoes, beans, bread, bagels, pizza crust and a chocolate chip cookie for breakfast! A Seaworthy salted chocolate chip cookie with an Iced Coffee. I also went to town to finish a few errands, sending a gift and pictures to Sally. She reminded me of this to-do in yesterday's letter. I returned to work and wrapped up the draft with 20 minutes to spare. I squeezed in a bit more shopping. We really have sweet shops.

Joe had lunch ready, the BBQ we picked up on Thursday to support Newark Rotary- thank you City BBQ. A quick change and we were headed west to golf with a special couple at Muirfield Country Club.  It was the perfect day with no humidity and I played just fine.  A treat to catch-up and enjoy the links. Dinner on the patio was such a treat.  

We're home sitting on the porch, reflecting on this beautiful day, month, life. Life on Newark-Granville Road is very special. Thanks to all that make days like this possible.

Summer Jobs, the lessons they provide!

My original intent for this post was to shine some light on Peter. My most recent posts have not had much to share about dear Peter, my 2nd child, the middle kid and only boy. Peter is the one living at home this summer and one might think there would be much to report about his various activities. The reality is he has been working. Peter arrived home from Wabash in Crawfordsville, Indiana and went right to work and has not stopped.

The first part of his summer was umpiring at Racoon Valley Park for the Granville Rec. This is his third summer and he obviously loves it. Thanks to all the friends that snapped pics and shared texts. We're proud of his long days (3 games at a time), engagement with all generations, and the ability to do this hard work. He is making quick decisions often questioned. The life lessons are immense and most important is the self awareness provided.   He didn't like me to attend games and I get that. I did enjoy the walk down memory lane when I'd make a pit stop on my way home from the Farmers Market.

The second part of his summer employment is at Lowes. He was clear in a goal for the summer, make money. He listened to advice from friends and family that led to the box store experience. Cashier is his title, often spending time in the outdoor garden area. He enjoys working in the lumber section and now knows what a 2 by 4 is, although Joe is quick to say the actual dimensions are 1 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches. I've been thrilled with the approach to customer service he recites and is rewarded. He was happy to receive this red vest, with a badge for assisting a customer. He would not let me take a photo. Thanks again to friends sharing their interactions with him. He does the same, each evening reporting on his engagement, sometimes saying- I'm not sure who it was but they say hi.  Probably the most impressive component of this commission are the hours. Peter's usual shift is 6 am to 3 pm. I've heard him rise at 5 to shower and make breakfast before heading to Heath.  Many many people do this, very successful people do this, we're glad to know Peter can do this.

What was your favorite summer job and least favorite summer job? I've used this as ice breakers for meetings and find it quite revealing.  I'm fortunate to have so many fond memories of my summer employment: FHCC lifeguarding with rainy day bonding in that long gone under the patio space; Lake Raystown Resort with a long drive over two mountains (no doubt a contributor to my confidence for travel) and bevy of special relationships; and the summer at the beach- LBI- with 3 jobs. I learned then retail was not for me and cherish the time in a commercial kitchen.  If you know Joe well you know his time with a Frank-A-Matic or how he learned to drive shift!  

Life on Newark-Granville Road has many lessons, tales and reflections many taking places in this fabulous season called Summer!

July means New Year!

I do not recall the feeling of a true ending and beginning at my birthday as I do this year. Fiscal year end has always been an important milestone, a bit more so with the pandemic effect. It was quite the year. I am grateful for the amazing Denison families supporting our beloved college on the hill. I'm proud of my work requiring pivots, adaptability and the embrace of technology. None of it could have happened without the incredible partners and teammates at Denison. Joe deserves credit as well, being the in-house IT staffer. I'm proud of our ability to professionally co-exist in our lives on Newark-Granville Road. Yes, the birthday and personal new year deserved some celebration for 20-21's end and 21-22's beginning. It was a wonderful week of festivities, thank you to my hosts and coordinators! Swims, cakes, candles and ciders made it all special. The gifts, cards, texts, calls and social media posts were absolutely delightful! The return to traditions: spending the night with the Westerville Leithausers, traversing the lake and watching the fireworks with the Parsons memories like no other. Granville's 4th of July returned in all its glory: ferris wheel, the village on the horizon backlit by booms, a true hometown parade all while socializing together! Uniting with pals by the pool and on the golf course provided the extra touches to dub it a perfect long long weekend and birthday for the record books. 53 isn't overly special, until it is spent with my friends and family. Cheers to all that helped make it so, I'm grateful. And now the new year, a resolution for balance. My studies at IUPUI, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is teaching me everything is on a continuum. This feels a bit like my father's reminder from Oscar Wilde, everything in moderation, even moderation! I move forward into my new year grateful for time off, vacation time to use. I'm cleaning my closet and taking things from the attic to Sophie's Thrift Store, benefiting the Licking County Humane Society:

Guest Blogger- Joe Leithauser: Lesson's from the Appalachian Trail

 Lessons from the Appalachian Trail by Joe Leithauser, June 2021

If you know my history hiking the Appalachian Trail, it has always been challenging for me. My first time was a 7-day backpacking trip with some college friends right after Denison's graduation. It ended after only 1 day due to a virus that nearly cost me the sight in my left eye. The second time was with Peter and Clare 7 years ago. We hiked 23 miles in very cold weather, it was never above 20 degrees and below zero overnight. Clare and Peter showed their grit…Although this year we had different challenges, blisters, heat, humidity, elevation changes, and 35ish miles over three days, one thing stayed the same, Izzi Fuller and Sally were gritty. Proud of both girls – and the dads as well. Maybe our kids can handle more adversity than we think if we don’t jump in and protect them from it.

Lesson 1 – Resilience - I was listening to a podcast recently and the podcaster Jocko described a Marine unit that had a low turnover, high reenlistment, great morale, and incredible resilience through stressful situations. The commanding officer credits communicating all aspects of the plan to his entire unit as the reason for this resilience. I downloaded Guthook's Guide and printed out our trek mile by mile including landmarks, water, campsites, and elevation changes. This worked great as Sally remarked to me on the first day that she was comfortable leading us on the trail because she knew the plan. I have started adopting this more intentionally at work as well. If everyone knows the plan, everyone can lead and adjust when needed. We called an audible the first day and camped at Pogo instead of hiking all the way to Annapolis Cliffs.  

Lesson 2 – Practice – My first two backpacking trips on the trail I didn’t really practice using the equipment that was going to support me on the hike. This time Sally and I hiked through the Denison Biological Reserve for a total of 10 miles before we started our hike. For the first two days, wearing the clothes I practiced I was fairly comfortable, my feet survived without blisters and no chafing. On the third day, I used different equipment that I had not practiced in – and was significantly less comfortable. I had a decent-sized blister on my foot and more chafing than I had the previous days. I should have taken one more hike and maybe made a different decision on my clothes.

Lesson 3 – Awareness – I learned much from the hike with Peter and Clare about their personalities. If you want to learn who your kids really are, put them under stress to see how they act. Sally is a good mix of her siblings – she has Clare’s determination and drive and Peter’s compassion. I was quite a bit slower on the trail than Sally, but she would wait and sometimes come back to make sure I was ok. This trait will serve her well I believe.

Lesson 4 – Listen to your Body – We met a thorough hiker who told us a story about having to leave the trail due to a knee injury caused by overuse. She knew it was a problem but didn’t stop even though her body was telling her to stop. Our last day was very hot and humid we had about 11 miles, mostly over rocky terrain and climbing down South Mountain. I’m not sure I have ever sweated that much in a single day. I started to feel a little nauseous once we hit the C&O towpath so I just laid down sipping water for about 10 minutes before we continued. My body told me to take a rest even though we were close to the end. 

Lesson 5 – Know the Way – We started our hike on the first day at High Rock in Maryland. I thought it would be easy to find the path back to the Appalachian Trail. We did find the trail, but not at the spot where we should have started – this cost us an hour of hiking and a pretty steep elevation change over rocks. Our first day would have ended better (and an hour earlier) if I had just taken the time to check the guide and find the right path. I let the excitement of getting our hike underway get in the way of knowing the way.

All in all, it was a great trip with incredible memories. Susan’s support and help along the way made this trip successful for each one of us. We couldn’t have completed our hikes without her. So I guess that is Lesson 6 – Ask for and accept help when you recognize you need it. Thank you to my mother-in-law Jeanne for her hospitality, it made a difference too!

 Happy Trails to You!

Father Daughter Hike

off to find the trail