A Full Life

I am not known to be an adventurous person or world traveler, although I truly admire those who are. I tend to live vicariously through other people while I listen to their stories or enjoy their beautiful photos on social media. Members of our community are out there right now doing some amazing things from exploring little-known places throughout the southland to discovering the majesty of the wilds of California, or visiting lands far from home where the languages and cultures are not their own. I have a colleague who just spent the last couple of weeks in Europe, having swapped her home with another traveler who wanted to visit Los Angeles. How fun, and yet, what a leap of faith. I am excited to hear how it all went but I know in my heart that I could never do that and probably will never find my way “across the pond.” I had an opportunity to travel to Africa back in my college days but chickened-out at the last minute and never quite got there either.

I have a comfort zone of travel destinations that include everything on the western side of the U.S. and Canada. I am not really tempted to go further away because I am already so close to breath-taking beauty and abundant wildlife. I am happy to just stick my toes in the sand and watch the sunset or hike a trail to look at flora and fauna. It’s enough. Simplicity is beauty.

Despite my calm, non-adventurous demeanor, I would say I have lived a full life. I have seen so much in my lifetime, both good and bad, and those experiences provided me with the building blocks to learn and grow. The knowledge I gained helped me in every relationship and every job that I ever had. It also turned me into a pretty decent storyteller.

When I tell a story, I tend to draw from my own personal experiences to make a point or teach a lesson. It usually goes this way, “When I worked at the zoo, our volunteers…” or “Back when I was a florist, we designed…” or “I created this method when I was an antique dealer…” or “I used to be an insurance agent. You may want to consider your liability exposure.” Almost always the response is, “Is there anything you haven’t done?” Well, I guess I haven’t traveled to Europe or Africa.

I am always open to new opportunities to further my knowledge base but usually do so close to home. Last week, I was privileged to take a tour of Jet Propulsion Laboratory along with my colleagues from Assistance League of Flintridge. I had never been there even though I have lived in the foothills my entire life. What a special treat.

From the moment we arrived at the facility, I was in awe of the high-level thinking that takes place there. Just imagine how much brain power it requires to send a spacecraft to a destination hundreds of thousands of miles away and precisely calculate its return, or out millions of miles beyond that and return data back for further study. It is mind-blowing. The staff that showed us around was exceptionally knowledgeable and the large campus was beautifully landscaped. It was a delight to see the history of the projects and the scale models as well as the “clean room” where spacecraft are built, and “mission control” where all the research stations looking at deep space are tracked. I wish I could have stayed longer to learn more but perhaps I can visit again someday. Space is the ultimate adventure and I deeply admire those who paved the way and continue to explore and research.

Whatever your “thing” is, never stop learning, growing and teaching others. It will serve you well.

Susan Bolan
susanbolan710@gmail.com