Whether It’s Climbing a Mountain or Installing Solar PV, We All Accomplish A Great Deal

As a result of attending my college class’s 35th reunion in 2012, I somehow was appointed “class secretary.” This means that I’m about half way through a five-year term in which, every three months, I gather, edit, and aggregate notes from anyone wishing to tell the world about his/her exploits since our graduation in 1977.

I see a lot of updates from the successful software entrepreneurs and the expats living on the lush grassy sheep farms in verdant New Zealand, pictures of people on top of Kilimanjaro (pictured) or sailing across the North Atlantic, and notes from people whose daughters are studying in Barcelona or Heidelberg. 

That’s all wonderful, of course, but I hope the 98%+ who remain silent quarter after quarter haven’t inferred that they’re living forgettable or unimportant lives.  I’d love to hear from someone who had felt the relief of finalizing a messy divorce, celebrated her ninth year of sobriety, or retired from the Hartford Police Department.  I’d be even happier to hear from someone who, even on a shoe-string, started a second career installing solar PV, selling e-bikes, or developing new concepts in eco-friendly architecture or low-powered lighting.

I know these people are out there, and perhaps they’ll see this message: We all have something of worth and interest to contribute.