Twelvefret
Forum GOD!
Just my experience of course, but as I ventured from the woods of my youth, to explore the Appalachian Trail, scenic rivers, and long distance running, my circle of associations dramatically expanded. I hiked with ER doctors, paddled with physicists in Oak Ridge, and ran with engineers at TVA. I shared life with people who had traveled and were highly academically influenced, much more than I had experienced. This set a new trajectory for which I bathed my family. Being around others gave me perspectives different from my narrow rural experiences of youth. I think it changed me from someone trying to be safe into someone who was less afraid of change. One of my managers used to say that insanity is defined as doing the same things and expecting different results.