“You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
So, my husband Terry and I have recently returned from a road trip to Gillette, Wyoming, where we attended the National High School Rodeo Finals for 2022. This all came about because our best friends, ever since our sons were babies, gave us a call. Like last year, their granddaughter would be competing in this annual event, and they wondered if we wanted to spend a week with them watching the competitions and hanging out together. Now these friends are based in a small town near Anchorage Alaska, and we don’t get to see them very much. The answer was a resounding yes; the realization that it would take two full days to drive to Gillette was sobering but easy enough to overcome. We made the trip, had a marvelous time, fell in love with the South Dakota landscape, worried about where we would be able to buy gas in unknown territory – and about how much it would cost! The friendship we share with our friends and the bond that we have with each other is priceless, and I’m so glad that we didn’t stay in our corner of the forest.
The thought of being with our friends was a huge motivator, but I was also really curious about what we’d see on our way out west. I don’t think of myself as being a particularly curious person outside of my comfort zone; so much of my life has been spent as a reaction to parental expectations or the realities of being a military spouse, working wife and mother. Stepping out of that comfort zone has always been a challenge for me, and my “curious” factor just wasn’t strong enough to overcome that challenge. In one of the early editions of the Magnolia magazine Joanna Gaines wrote about how her husband and kids were really curious about things around them. With all her accomplishments, she felt that her lack of curiosity held her back from seeing and experiencing things as her family did; she ended the article saying that she wanted to work on developing a stronger sense of curiosity. Fast forward to present time and I watch the commercials for Viking cruises; the CEO talks about growing up in a family that valued honesty, hard work, and education. He adds that he thinks that curiosity should be added to that mix – a curiosity to see everything that the world has to offer.
You and I may not have the travel budget or the time to see the world, but there is a lot to be curious right here in our Newcomers back yard! Now for some housekeeping:
- Please remember that there will not be a Newcomers luncheon in August. There will, however, be a Board meeting the first Thursday in August.
- Please mark your calendars, the September luncheon has been changed from the second Thursday in the month to the third Thursday, September 15. The reason for this change is that a golfing event at Bluegrass that is taking up all of the club’s resources.
- If you are receiving this newsletter and have not paid your membership dues for this new year; please do so as soon as possible. (Click here to pay)
- Also if you need or want to submit a new photo for our Directory, please make that happen as soon as possible. (Send photo to Newcomers.Art@gmail.com)
- As a first, during the August Board meeting we will be identifying all the charities that we want to support at the 2022/2023 luncheons. This list will be made available to all Newcomers before the end of August. For those who aren’t able to attend a luncheon or who aren’t regular luncheon attendees, you can still donate to a particular month’s charity by sending a check to our post office box; just make sure that you note the name of the charity on the memo line of your check.
August has a lot of special days dedicated to food! My favorite is Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and Creamsicle Day. Then there is Tooth Fairy Day; I read somewhere that American children receive on average $3.70 per tooth – really????? Did you know that there is a “Just Because” Day – you get to make the rules this day, just because. Lol
Till we get to meet again, I wish you good health, peace, and happiness,
Carol
