Pioneers and Explorers

Dr. Sally Ride was invited to sit on a panel of scientists at the San Diego Air and Space Museum several years ago, and I was lucky enough to be able to snap this photo, now a collector's item.
I get sad each time I look at this photo, for it is difficult for me to accept the fact that
Dr. Sally Ride is gone, taken from this world at a young age.
She was the first woman in space. Thirty years after Ralph
Cramden, on TV's landmark but sexist show the Honeymooners,  told his wife
Alice that he was going to shoot her "to moon!"
Ride went there, not at the end of her husband's fist,
but by virtue of her studies in science and physics and SDSU.
Thank you, Ms. Ride, for having been a pioneer. Thank you, for having been an explorer into outer space, where very few men or women have been. And, most importantly, thank you for
having devoted your life to the education of young children. You were truly a pioneer AND an explorer. Writing prompt: When, in your own life, were you a pioneer?
When did you set out to do something that nobody else around you had dared to do?
Where did it take you and where did you go?
What did you learn? How have you shared that knowledge with others?

Life's Circles

By the end of the day, how many of life's circles have I passed through? My circle encompasses my boyfriend, my aunt and cousins, my extended family and friends, my coworkers. Today I stopped by the dry cleaners and had a pleasant conversation with the young lady who works there. How many people are in her circle? Do I know them? Have you smiled at them during your busy day? Remember that everybody else has their own circle to go home to, to answer to, to argue with, or laugh with. Who is in your circle?

Most Beautiful Place

During the traffic jams and incessant television ads of the season, I like to draw back, pause and find a moment of calm at one my favorite places. This is one of them.
Rocky Mountain National Park, in the fall.
It is quiet, a rustle of the breeze crunches the
dried grass. All I hear is my breath. I can smell
the snow blowing down from the mountains. I am alone: no cars, no hikers. Nothing. It is true peace, if just for moment.
Where is your calm place? Please close your eyes
for moment and travel there in your imagination.
Feel the air on your face. Smell the aroma.
Who is there with you? How does it feel? Write
about it, and enjoy, for a few moments.