Happy Valentine's Day 2014
Being retired one loses track of time
2014
A Very Good Year
This month I am celebrating my 2nd anniversary of being retired.
So far I have not missed working...
or being at a public service desk at 8:00 a.m.
Nor have I had a day of boredom in these two years of retirement.
Nor have I felt the need to fill my life with “projects” ...
or "volunteer work."
I just get up in the morning and the day flows naturally and easily.
Every day is a meditation and a reason to feel grateful for being alive.
Things happen, but nothing needs to happen…
I am free to follow my bliss.
In 2014, for the first time in my life, I have a top-notch health insurance policy that is not related to being employed. My new health insurance is mine to keep, thanks to President Obama.
Since I am so young and vital,
I do not yet qualify for Medicare :)
My new 2014 Obamacare health insurance policy has:
No deductibles ($8,000 in my pocket... thank you, President Obama)
No co-pays for family docs, or for specialists (more money in my pocket)
No lifetime cap
No double-digit jacking up of premiums every year
No policy cancellation if I get sick
No higher premiums for “pre-existing conditions”
No bankruptcy for medical reasons, etc.
In other words, for lower monthly premiums I was able to change my previous junk private health insurance policy for a first-class comprehensive (medical, dental, etc.) Obamacare policy.
That is change I can believe in!
One way I have chosen to share my bliss is by sharing my love of classic salsa music.
I became a member of the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning (WILL) and in 2014 I offered to facilitate a class (for no financial remuneration) called:
CLASSIC SALSA MUSIC APPRECIATION
Over a period of months I spent hundreds of hours translating lyrics and contextualizing the songs to be able to enrich the experience of listening.
Themes for the class include: Definition, Instruments, Song Structure, and Sub-Genres.
According to Mr. Google no one has ever done this before. After an extensive internet search, I think I am the first person in history to create and offer a music appreciation class for 1970’s classic salsa, complete with translated lyrics embedded in a coordinated audiovisual presentation for more than 50 classic salsa songs.
TRAVEL IN 2014
2014 will be a special year because Beatriz and I plan to visit
Kyoto, Japan, in June and Leh, Ladakh, India in July.
Kyoto is the former imperial capital of Japan
(population 1.5 million)
with more than 1,600 Buddhist temples.
We also plan to participate in Kalachakra, a two-week ceremony led by the Dalai Lama in Leh, Ladakh, India in the Himalayas. The monks will make a sand mandala, similar to the one being made in this photo:
Our visit will also include a special celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 79th birthday.
For example, others who do not experience headlessness.
ON BEING HEADLESS
I am participating in a global book discussion group through The Headless Way.
The book is THE HIERARCHY OF HEAVEN & EARTH by Douglas Harding (1952).
It is a foundational book for understanding the experience of being headless ...
It is a book I felt I needed to read... when I realized I had lost my head.
Truth be told I cannot say I miss my head ... in its place I have gained the world.
Take a look for your self. Point at your where you think your head is.
What do you see? Do you see your head... or the world?
It is really very simple
(and empirical, if you do the experiment).
Best wishes to you in 2014!
Love,
Samarpan David