Joe – Forty-five years ago, on July 8, 1971, a funny thing happened. I was born (and my brother too). During those forty-five years, I have been blessed with family, friends, and colleagues, all of whom I cherish. With a lot of support from the aforementioned, I have managed to cobble together a life with more ups than downs, and more than a couple of adventures to keep life spicy.
Thanks to the efforts of my courageous wife and the tolerance of my even more courageous daughter, we are embarking on what may be our most crazy adventure to date. With everything seemingly going mid-life-smoothly (job, health, house, school, retirement fund, etc.), and with a palpable fear of exhaling fully, lest I rock this rickety boat, Ali, Maya, and I are picking up and moving to Switzerland. In four days.
What was I thinking? First, Ali wanted to go, and I want to support her. That’s sufficient rationale, in my book, but there is more. Sticking to the familiar brings comfort and a sense of security. In the coming year, I will explore new places, meet new people, speak a new language, eat new foods, and I will do it all with my wife and daughter. I can’t help but smile, thinking to myself: How cool is that? But I think there’s even more. Seeking the unfamiliar, the new, and the different certainly brings stress. Managing (surviving!) that stress pays huge dividends – It brings meaning to life, resiliency to character, and opportunities to learn about oneself. I am looking forward to giving myself that gift, and sharing it with Ali and Maya.
It’s one thing to want to go abroad for the year. It’s another thing entirely to pull it off. I would be remiss starting off a blog like this without expressing the gratitude I feel for everybody – friends, family, coworkers, and total strangers both in the States and in Europe – who have made this adventure possible. On our behalf, some of you stuck your necks out with nothing to gain and lots to lose. You said “Yes” when the easy thing to do was to say “No”. Thank you, thank you, for your tolerance, patience, and support.
Today is my 45th birthday today – let’s call it mid-life. Seems like a good time for a new adventure…
