"I wish I'd done something else..."

So, I’m going to write two blogs today, one from yesterday and one since I arrived in Turkey last night, hope it all makes sense.

I’ve only ever made a handful of bad decisions (or “mistakes”) in my life.  I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.  I don’t actually believe mistakes exist.  I’ve never had a desire to erase something I’ve done and do it differently.  If I didn’t like the outcome of something I take what I’ve learned and apply that knowledge to similar situations in the future.  I never, ever regret doing something.  Why?

Well, each decision I have made has led me to where I am now.  It has led me to meet the people that currently make up my world (okay, maybe not my relatives…).  Looking at my friends I’ve made since adulthood and the people that have had the most impact on me (including my students) I can explain the major decision that I made in my life that led me to all of you.  Choosing JMU was the first once, then turning down UCONN for graduate school in order to work for the Close Up Foundation, which led to stumbling into LBLP, which led to…. Anyway here’s where I’m going with this:

Yesterday as everyone from the ASCSA Summer Session II was crying their eyes out and saying goodbye (which had started the evening before), I said to myself, “Wow, I wish I had done this program when I was younger.”  IMMEDIATELY I caught myself.  There is no way I wish I had done this at any other point in time.  While the program was absolutely fabulous it was the people that I had the chance to meet that really made the difference.  From distinguished professors, peers who can carry on intelligent conversations one second and then start laughing about ridiculous things the next second, people who ensured I had no sleep, and more people who made me laugh each day, they are what made this program for me and I am so grateful to have added new members to my chosen family of friends.

At midnight on Tuesday the group decided to do one last hike up Mt. Lykavittos (which is how we started) and the view was spectacular.  The next morning as we began saying our goodbyes the waterworks began.  I can’t really explain what happened between all of us over the past six weeks, nor could I do it justice such as others have been able to do.  Three of us split the cab to the airport yesterday and the tears continued.  There were clouds over Athens (which there had not been the whole 6 weeks), so we decided Zeus was sad to see us go.

I know I have made some lifelong friends and I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to make the decision to spend my summer the way I did.  

Yamas to excellent decision making.