Journey & Adventures

 This is the word that keeps finding its way into conversation, presentations, lessons...

I start this entry on the Sunday of a really special weekend. Denison's Family Leadership Council Spring Semester Meeting, aligned with Denison's Bluegrass Festival, aligned with Anniversary/Birthday fun! Regular readers or social media post observers will recognize Joe's birthday is two days after our anniversary, so love is exponentially celebrated in February for us!

The chair of the FLC, Mike Trigg P'25, has done a fantastic job in his role. It has been an honor to share the journey! During his excellent interview with Nan Carney-DeBord '80 facilitating lessons and relfection at this time of Nan's retirement for students in regard to career advice...he reminded us it is the journey not the destination. I met this morning with the incoming co-chair, Margot Brinley P'27, and was was reminded we're on a journey together, and again it is an honor to be so!  

I bought this card AGES ago and finally remembered to give it to Joe for our anniversary. As I reflect on our 26 years, celebrating our 25th with quite an adventure (see the December post about SE Asia) Our marriage has been filled with many chapters- babies, various jobs (or not), empty nesting, various sports, you get the idea..I do think that has been the success. We both do view it as an adventure and not just a journey. I pause now to reflect on MW's definition on https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adventure: "an undertaking usually involving danger and unknow risks, the encountering of risks, an exciting or remarkable experience, an enterprise involving financial risk".  Journey is "something suggesting travel or passage from one place to another". MV.com

There are risks with marriage, jobs, change, life....so isn't any journey an adventure? Just something I'm thinking about with you in my life on Newark-Granville road!  Today was an adventure in making my first from scratch angel food cake and with the price of eggs it checks definition four with finances!

For the record I've also loved the adventure of work travel lately, I'll chronicle it here! I feel the year has a coast to coast theme!  I've already shared the DC/MD, San Fran Bay Area trip. February brought Florida coast to coast time! I'm grateful to the alum/parents that hosted us for golf in Florida, prompting me to check my clubs for the first time! It was an adventure and I loved it! Two amazing work events on the east coast, followed by a journey west to Naples for an event and some friend time! I'm so fortunate to be inspired and energized by these relationships that do require travel.

It was the same for the weekend, a full weekend that required and provided energy, becuase Denisonians are special and being in Granville, in this life on Newark-Granville road is an adventerous journey!

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