Risk/Reward

A month or two ago I sent in a little update to the UC Davis alumni magazine, because I wanted John's amazing accomplishments to be included along with all the people writing books and starting companies and having babies. I finally heard back from someone the other day, and she had a few questions about our Foreign Service post and how long we'd be gone. We ended up emailing back and forth a few times, and I mentioned that I was nervous about the move, mainly because I don't speak Russian and because it's going to be so cold. She wrote back with this great little anecdote about meeting with a group of Russian politicians for a story she was working on:

"I have this vivid image of a distinguished Russian gentleman with a silver beard, and a beautiful accent, telling me a Russian proverb: He who doesn't risk never gets to drink champagne. I love that saying, though it doesn't necessarily make it easier to take those risks."

Isn't that a fabulous expression? And isn't it so cool that a random person I'll never meet in real life shared that story with me? That's one of the things I love so much about taking risks in life -- not only do you get to drink the champagne (or vodka, as the case may be) when those risks pay off, but you also get to meet wonderful people and experience new and unexpected things along the way.

So here's to the risks, and the rewards! Next up - Russian training, starting Monday. Can't wait to see how this goes. На здоровье!