I’ve never been good at correspondence. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, but in practice I have an embarrassing track record. This is a true shame because snail mail, little inbox delights and surprise phone calls all thrill me beyond words. And perhaps now more than ever, I miss dearly the spectrum of friends, colleagues and family that I’ve left peppered across my former lands. But despite the lack of paper trail, I do think of them constantly and, as time has passed, we’ve each settled into our own unique ways of staying in touch.

One refrain I hear often is curiosities about what I’m learning. This is a tricky one to answer, not only because the insights and revelations happen constantly, but also because I’m learning in so many different ways. I learn in class, yes, but I also learn when I walk down the street, or have a conversation with someone in the park, or when I visit a museum, exhibit or gallery, or savor a smoky jazz show. Taking a year off from my career is a privilege and something that I want to take full advantage of, so I’m making it my business to soak it up voraciously.

“The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.”

- Dorothy Parker

With that, I thought I’d do my best to pick out some of the more influential experiences and learnings and share them here, one by one. If you feel that there’s something that I’ve missed, I’m wide open to suggestions and encourage you to send them in!