As a swimmer, water polo player, and ocean lover, it is true that for the first 56 years of my life, nothing on this planet inspired me more than being immersed in the compound that makes up two thirds of it: H20. Then, in my 57th year, through a bit of luck and a lot of irony, my life was transformed not by a pool or an ocean, but by a land-locked plot of Fullerton land; a 241-acre home to nearly 46,000 diverse Titans, all of whom inspired, nourished, and reinvigorated me in ways that no body of water ever has.
So, a few months ago, when our COVID-19 safety measures sent us all away from campus, there was a moment that I was a bit lost in the wind. Yes, our amazing turn-on-a-dime pivot to virtual teaching, learning, and working kept me connected with my Titan family, but a tether to our collective home — the campus itself — was missing. So, in our second week of quarantine and with the ever-growing need to feel Titan terra firma under my feet, I dusted off an old road bike, strapped on a mask and helmet, and began a new habit: A daily bike ride to and around our campus.
On one such ride, I pedaled around the front of our Fullerton Arboretum. Continue reading in the Orange County Register.