I’m grateful to have reached the milestone of our 50th high school reunion feeling both happy and healthy. At 18 years old, I could not have imagined the turns my life would take. While deliberate decisions set parts of my life in motion, what strikes me most, looking back, is the powerful role that chance has played.
After completing my BA near Boston, I had no clear plan for what came next. I found myself managing a restaurant — working long hours for little pay wasn’t going to pay the student loans and definitely wasn’t inspiring me. When my brother decided to pursue an MBA, it sounded like a really good idea, so I applied as well.
Two years later, MBA in hand, I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. My first job at a brokerage firm left me bored to tears, but fortunately I was able to transfer to the equities research department. There, I worked for a terrific boss and found the work genuinely interesting. When I decided to return to Boston, he did everything he could to open doors for me.
In June 1989, my dog, my two cats, and I moved to Boston for a position as an equities analyst at a large money management firm, a move that had a significant impact on my life.
Had I not been living in Boston, I likely would not have attended my 10th college reunion. It was there that I renewed a friendship with a classmate, Shelley, who introduced me to traditional Louisiana music and dance, her wonderful circle of friends, and a vibrant social dance community.
If I hadn’t attended that reunion, Shelley and I might never have become close friends — and I almost certainly wouldn’t have gone to a house party during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. It was at that party that I met Paul who would become my husband. When I couldn’t convince him to move to Boston, the dog, the two cats, and I relocated to Northern Virginia. That was over 30 years ago.
Thanks to social dance, we continue to enjoy a large and lively community of friends. My husband loves to travel, and when I stopped working many years ago, we spent more time exploring the world. I’ve been fortunate to visit nearly 60 countries on every continent except Antarctica . I’ve ridden in tuk-tuks and on motor scooters, perched on the roofs of buses, squeezed into overstuffed vans, bounced along in the beds of trucks, in sleek and rickity trains and sailed on small boats and ferries — sometimes alongside chickens, cows, and goats. A year ago, we converted a van into a camper and spent the summer traveling through Canada and New England. We hope our little campervan will take us on many more adventures in North America.
When I’m not traveling, dancing with friends, or visiting my wonderful family, I volunteer with an animal rescue group, helping homeless cats and dogs find loving homes.
I feel unbelievablely lucky. I hope my good luck continues for many more years — years to share with family and friends, and continue to give back a little.