One of the things I like the most about our lifestyle is the endless opportunity to meet interesting people and learn about things I’ve never thought about before. If you read the archives of this blog, you’ll see we’ve been surprised by all kinds of interesting things.

For example, this week one of my photos on Flickr was selected by a group called Cityparrots.org. There’s no fame or fortune to accrue from being selected, but the photo was featured in the group and it assists the research that the group does.

What I find interesting about this is that my little contribution to Flickr paid me back by introducing me to something interesting and new. Once I heard about Cityparrots I had to go check out their website and read the discussion form on Flickr. I learned that parrots thrive in urban environments, and they are in more places than just San Francisco (where this picture was taken). I was surprised to learn that other species of parrots live in New York City, where I would have not expected they could survive the temperatures.

It’s just another example of the broadening effect of what we do, but also it reminds me of the value of sharing what we do with other people. I like having eclectic knowledge and new experiences. Last week I got a chance to try fire-eating. Last winter I got to fly a Bell jet helicopter simulator. Next month we’ll go hike to one of the last remaining glaciers in the US. All of these things resulted not from our own creativity and initiative, but from sharing our experience with people of all stripes, who then shared their perspective on the world with us.

So it comes back to the friends we have made along the way. Meeting people — especially people who are different from us — is the key. There are six billion ways to look at this world, and the only way you’re going to appreciate them is to meet some of the six billion people who inhabit it.

Yesterday we drove down to Colorado Springs to see some relatives. We took a drive up toward the “Seven Falls” area and stopped at Helen Hunt Jackson Falls. The volunteers there had set up a little spot where children could paint watercolors of the falls, which Emma and her cousin did very happily.

Since I’m still reading Dee Brown’s “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee,” I was intrigued to find that Helen Hunt Jackson was also an important documenter of the history of how Native Americans were displaced and systematically destroyed by the US government in the mid-19th century. Her book, “Century of Dishonor” is still available in paperback.

Today we are gearing up to move northward on Monday. It seems odd to leave, because we are so comfortable here. Colorado is a favorite state of ours, and there’s an incredible amount that I want to do still: mountain biking, hiking, touring a gold mine, the Air Force Academy, several museums, more friends, etc. But we are working against the weather. Interesting things await to the north as well, and if we are to see them we will need to get going soon. Colorado will get another visit next summer, I hope.