G O O D R E AD
© B E T T M A N N /C O R B I S
What lies beneath Lee Woodruff ’s red long johns—a wedding present from her husband— went from a symbol of adventure to a sign of midlife stagnation…until one trip changed everything.
H AV I N G G R OW N U P W I T H O U T S I S T E R S , my husband has always been intrigued by female gatherings. This was why, 28 years ago, he crashed my bridal shower to give me a store-wrapped gift. The card read, “May our life together always be an adventure.” Inside the box was a pair of tomato red Patagonia long johns. They remain the most practical wedding present I ever received, aside from a fire extinguisher from my friend Rebecca. We were married in a small stone chapel in upstate New York on the unremarkable (at the time) date of
FEBRUARY 2016
September 11. Immediately afterward, we headed to Beijing, where Bob would teach at the China University of Political Science and Law. This was a very lofty name for a cluster of concrete buildings and dirt piles we would call home. Our tiny cinder-block dorm room was a meat locker in winter. Icy winds rattled the thin windowpanes
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