Putting fresh air in my brain

This morning as I was walking over to the campus, I thought to myself how lucky I am to be breathing the fresh air....

And here I'm not just talking about the early morning crisp, unpolluted air of Berkeley, rather.....

• Breathing the fresh air of respecting and valuing intellectual diversity
• Breathing the fresh air of being intellectually challenged
• Breathing the fresh air of learning and sharing
• Breathing the fresh air of being inspired
• Breathing the fresh air of academic rigor
• Breathing the fresh air of being around young people
• Breathing the fresh air of critical thinking
• Breathing the fresh air of alternative ideas and thinking
• Breathing the fresh air of collaboration
• Breathing the fresh air of different culture and setting
• Breathing the fresh air of questioning and reflecting on 'defaults'  and 'standards'
• Breathing the fresh air of seeking the 'other' truth
• Breathing the fresh air of possibilities

As I got to my class, I thought of what a quote from Ernesto Bertarelli - a businessman and philanthropist:

You cannot change who you are, but you can change what you have in your head, you can refresh what you are thinking about, you can put some fresh air in your brain

I feel so privileged to be able to put some fresh air my brain!