Dear Section J:

Hello!

I have been thinking a great deal about you this summer and so I thought I’d write you this note while on a flight back from Montana.

First up, I hope you are having a summer that is both restful and educational.

Regarding the former, I hope you’re able to enjoy time with friends and family and also are getting a chance to be outside. Both are great for one’s health.

Regarding the latter, I hope you are learning much from your independent summer project or internship. As mentioned, career paths are like buying a suit or a dress. That garment may look good at the store, but you don’t know if it fits you until you try it on. The nice thing about the summer is you can learn what you like and what you do not like. And you get to walk away at summer’s end.

Second, I wanted to write about my 30th HBS reunion. We experimented with something new: Section Time.

We all were back in our Aldrich classrooms at which fellow Sectionmates led a discussion on: “What have been the high and low points of your life thus far?” It was wonderful to be back together in Aldrich as a Section for the first time since our RC year. It was such an intimate time as people shared about themselves under a mutually-agreed-to code of 100% confidentiality.

Many classmates reported that this was their favorite reunion because of Section Time.

For me, I was struck by how nearly all of us who chose to start families said that our high point was this: our children. I did.

Which leads me to Montana.

Every summer, I feel fortunate to be able to go there to fly fish. I drove over 3,100 miles this time and was lucky to see many good trout. It is hard to explain the beauty of the state: sunrises and sunsets that make the valleys and mountains glow, the many deer, cattle, and antelope one sees, wild fish, and vistas that are both majestic and arresting. I also fished during snow, hail, and a ferocious thunderstorm, all of which came suddenly.

My life was simple there. I woke up early, packed a sandwich and ample water, and fished. When I got back, I cooked a plain dinner, tied flies, cleaned up, and went to bed early. As a result, my screen-time consumption went way down. I felt healthier, too: I’ve been wearing a continuous glucose monitor and saw my glucose levels drop by 20 points.

I knew it was a good trip when my wading boots started to fall apart, saved somewhat by twine and knots. I’ve added some photos below, and you also can visit my Instagram to see more.

The best part of my trip was seeing one of my children. She lives outside of Massachusetts now and flew out to spend a few days with me. My daughter has always loved fly fishing, and she holds an innate ability to wield a fly rod better than most.

It was such a joy to see her. She roped in some quality fish. When you rarely see your children, the one-on-one time with them is pure gold. I was heartbroken when I dropped her off at the airport, but catching more fish helped soften the blow.

I am not sure if my Section’s experience applies to you. But I thought I’d share with you our experience about the importance of human relationships, which you may recall is the number one predictor of health, a long life, and a successful career according to this study.

I look forward to seeing you in September. I am relieved that the international-visa situation appears to be nearly behind us, fingers crossed.

For those who are willing, I would like to host more office hours. I will have 190 new students this fall (the VCPE course and will be a Section Chair again) but very much will allocate time for you.

Until then, enjoy the remains of summer.

Fondly,

Jo