More often than not, I opt for quiet time versus time doing anything else.

Quiet time is also known as time to myself, time to recharge, time to veg, time to rest and time to just be. I find that a lot of this time is needed because I’m a) in the middle of learning a new job, b) getting older, c) getting more boring and d) am still recovering from knee surgery (as bizarre as that sounds since it’s been six months).

Sometimes, however, there are times when I sign up for an event, an outing or a class on something of a whim and I’m pleasantly surprised that I did something out of the ordinary.

For as often as I look around in the world today and see depressing headline after depressing headline in the news, it was nice to be among college alumni tonight in an environment that was welcoming, uplifting and renewing. The wine, of course, probably didn’t hurt.

In the spirit of simplicity reigning, tonight’s post is short and sweet, and to the point — “the point” being that occasionally the most pleasant of times are those simply spent among good people, with good conversation, talking about the good old days.

Tonight I am thankful that I chose to step outside of my bubble and enjoy a great evening in a beautiful part of Orange County — while talking about a beautiful part of the country, its chilly winters, humid summers and everything in between…including our beloved alma mater.

Go green, go white.