Back home in Indiana--Renewed!

We have been back in Indiana now for 4 weeks! The re-entry was not as hard as I had expected.  After 5 months in Europe, it felt good to be home. It's especially good to see Laura and Amy. (Haven't seen Amy yet, but hope to soon.) Plenty of hot temperatures and humidity, and even that felt good compared with the cool days in the Netherlands! The running, swimming, and biking I did in Amsterdam paid off.  Patty and I participated in our first ever triathlon on July 16th.  It was exciting, fun, challenging.  A feeling of accomplishment to realize I could set a goal and do something new, even at age 60. Come to think of it, my sabbatical was a lot about renewal.  Not only getting in better physical shape, but also getting enough sleep, and taking time to think, read, and write.  I discovered new things about my work.  I got a few good ideas about things I want to do in my last 10 years as a university professor. Planted seeds for a couple of new projects about improving quality of child care for infants and toddlers. I was able to work with my students to publish several articles about work we've done in the past 10 years. Renewed friendships in Europe and made some new friends. The whole sabbatical was an energy boost!