Milestones Since the Maiden Voyage

Just before sitting down at my laptop moments ago, I realized my first tentative steps into the blogosphere occurred fourteen years ago tomorrow. On the spot, I decided to abandon what I'd previously planned to write about and instead celebrate the start of my fifteenth uninterrupted year of reflecting from the bell curve by marking a few milestones from 2011 - 2025. Why not join in and share a few of yours? I'm doing mine chronologically but pick whatever order works for you.

* When my wife and I took our first trip with Road Scholar (nee Elder Hostels) in the fall of 2015, we had modest expectations. We knew we'd enjoy two of the National Parks we'd be visiting in Alaska and hoped we'd meet some nice folks who - like us - are not luxury-oriented travelers. Who could have predicted the bond we'd build with fourteen (of forty) of our fellow travelers? Except for Groundhog Year, i.e., when Covid shut down the world, the sixteen of us have re-united somewhere in the U.S. in every subsequent year since. What an indescribably wonderful late-in-life gift.  

* Feeling accountable for a goal I announced publicly here on November 22, 2011 definitely kept me focused on that goal. Almost eight years later - in August 2019 - I had memorized 300 songs jazz musicians enjoy playing, either from the Great American Songbook or standards composed by some of the jazz giants. I've forgiven myself for taking eight years to accomplish this when I set out to do so in one (!!), primarily because the regimen of continually reviewing those 300 (now up to 319) tunes has formed the backbone of my practicing discipline on guitar over the ensuing five + years.

* On October 3, 2024, my wife and I became first-time grandparents. If my grandson gives me even 50% of the joy my daughter has given me, I'll be grateful beyond measure.

If you want to share more than three milestones/highlights, great. I limited mine to three for the sake of brevity. My life has been filled with riches since March 15, 2011. And the regular discipline of publishing this blog has clearly helped me bring those riches into focus. Thanks for all your support, online and off. 

Reflections From The Bell Curve: Maiden Voyage