Hiking with my father and my oldest son .
Kristi and our youngest son .
is an even better skier than me .”
In addition to finding new ski destinations , he loves to travel both domestically and internationally , but he keeps his favorite spots secret to prevent them from becoming discovered and overrun by tourists . In his senior year at Centre , he and Kristi studied abroad in Strasbourg , France for a semester . Carrying her engagement ring in a passport holder around his neck for two months , he popped the question while they were there .
While the sense of adventure that accompanies travel can be fun , he said that like all things , it has to be kept in moderation to maintain that sense of joy . “ It can be a distraction to the things that are most important right here at home . When I look back at the past 10 years , especially with children , the moments of greatest value are not when we are skiing or traveling , it ’ s the everyday moments we have with the people we love most like our kids , our parents and our closest friends . Travel and hobbies have been extremely helpful to relieve stress and balance life , but it ’ s not the most important thing ,” he said . “ Finding gratitude in what we have in the simple , everyday stuff and the people closest to us is really where we get peace and fulfillment . No travel , hobbies or professional achievements can give you that .”
Recognition of little moments of joy is something he wants to hold onto and fine tune in the future . Realizing that as plans change , it opens the door to the potential of something even greater than you could have anticipated . “ We don ’ t know which way life leads and I ’ m learning more and more to embrace that . It ’ s about being present and responsive to whatever the needs are in that moment . Life takes you in directions that you don ’ t expect , so we need to be appreciative of them rather than wishing for something different . The essence of life is truly in those little everyday moments .”
Kathryn Vance is the Communications and Event Coordinator at the Greater Louisville Medical Society .
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