Upward Bound

When last we communicated, dear readers, I was affirming my intention to lift myself out of the self-imposed rut I had fallen in. Well, I'm pleased to report that only today, I put myself out there twice doing things that, a mere 6 months ago, you probably couldn't have paid me to do.

Now, don't let your mind go there. I'm about as risque as a cold glass of lemonade, so don't expect any juicy revelations. I merely mean to say I did two things that I might not have found appealing a while back. First, I spent my lunchbreak today with members of the Rotary Club of Nairobi. My best friend Faith is a Rotarian, but even though she doesn't exhibit the slightest hint of zombie zealotry, I've always been slightly suspicious about Rotary. I was worried that there was some pagan ritual involved that might bind me to Satan in this life and the next.

But the people I met today were quite normal. I didn't have to bite the head off a chicken or anything. I made some good contacts for possible health stories, and left feeling glad I'd reached outside of my routine to make some social connections.

This evening, I attended a cultural evening focused on the works of Giuseppe Verdi, Italy's legendary operatic genius. Again, while I acknowledge peeking out the corner of one eye to see if there were any potential male conquests, I wound up being completely fascinated by Verdi's life story and astonishing talent. It was an evening well spent.

I'm looking forward to doing a lot more of this kind of thing.