Why Beyond the Chalkpit?

« At my English boarding school, what lay beyond the chalk pit-nestled in the shadows of the surrounding woods-was off-limits. The chalk pit was the distance eight-year-old legs could run to and from before the bell rang. Those who ventured beyond would risk facing an angry wall of tweed and 'six of the best' as punishment (six strokes of a cane on your backside).

Curiosity devoured me and induced me to trespass. Thus, I collided into the schoolmaster's tweed and received the inevitable. This, however, enlightened me to a new dimension: the notion of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. I remember being uplifted by a refreshing sense of independence, but most alluring was the exclusive nature of the knowledge of what lay beyond the chalk pit and the fact that it could not be bought or easily had. It had to be earned, but at a price.

This personal life experience at a young age bordered on the mythic and ever since inspired me to venture beyond life's chalk pits.»