Re “Reclaiming Balance” (What I Learned, Sept. 12): I also worry for the children of today. More than that, I worry for us. When did “busy” come to mean “worthwhile”? When did “efficient” come to mean “effective”? I think we, as a society, have lost our way.

I was a cross-country runner in high school, a cross-country runner at Princeton, and I still run trails today. One thing I’ve learned from all that running is this: Yes, it’s fun to win, but the race is really about the trail.

I hope we somehow find a way to start wandering trails again. The human soul needs it and, if we must be pragmatic about something so fundamental, ingenuity requires it. 

Kate Wesseling Perry ’95, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics – Nephrology: David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Thousand Oaks, Calif.