Come Take A Walk on the Creative Side

By Paul Roberts

The year was 1983, and I had come back to the University of Idaho campus in Moscow and enrolled as a “returning transfer” student, a category that seemed to throw every student advisor the U of I sent me to into a tizzy; but that’s a story for another time. I had “return transferred” for one reason, and one reason only. Her name? Carol Woolum.

I know, I know, I should have had some additional, rational reasons for returning - an education, self-improvement come to mind - but this sweet young extrovert, four years my junior but ten years more confident, had grabbed my introverted heart and pumped it so full of joy in the two years we had been dating that I now found myself able to hold her hand as we walked across the stately U of I campus with only the slightest blush coming to my cheeks. Holding hands in public can seem so forward for some of us. 

This sweet young extrovert had a habit (besides holding my hand) that took me some getting used to. The first time I noticed it we were walking somewhere near the front of the campus library; a young man came out of the doors, backpack slung across one shoulder, head down, moving across our path with purpose, clearly intent on his next destination. Carol and I slowed our pace to allow him to pass unhindered in front of us, and as we did so Carol added in a polite, friendly, “Hi”.

He glanced up, gave us a brief smile and a  “hi” in return, and hurried on. We continued at our leisurely pace, no destination in mind. I asked Carol, “Who was that?” Her answer was mystifying.

“I don’t know.”

I turned to look at her, my brow furrowed with confusion.

“I was just saying hi.” Her reply was so matter of fact, as if everyone “just said hi” to people they had never met. What kind of world was she living in?

A very pleasant world, it turns out.

It took some time for me to adjust to this strange habit, this odd quirk of hers, speaking to people before being spoken to, reaching out to greet someone she had never seen before. And over the years I’ve come to appreciate it. Carol’s gregariousness has taken us to many places. Glendive, Times Square, Willmar, Hollywood, Yellowstone, D.C. Places full of fascinating people, if you have the right person by your side to help you meet them. Places I likely wouldn’t have gone on my own. Full of people that I never would have greeted. But as we walked along, hand in hand over the last 35 years, when serendipity brought us together with people, Carol connected with them. And I got to go along for the ride.

Now here we are, 40 years later, and Carol has a potential email list 800 people strong that she wants us to say “hi” to, and strangely enough, I’m all for it. Together, hand in hand, we are embarking on a trip we haven’t taken before, a trip full of our own blogs and podcasts, a place where we can explore our own creative ideas and encourage other people to explore theirs. I’ve had 40 years of creative extrovert training, and along the way I’m pretty sure Carol has come to appreciate the positives an introvert like me can bring to a project. Put together, we make a pretty strong team. You’re welcome to join us, which will only make this creative community even stronger. Come and take a walk on the creative side with us.