Well, that wasn’t too bad. After a 19 hour journey, we're back in our Bangkok home and as usual, always nice to sleep in my bed, cook in my kitchen, sit on my couch, eat at my table, and pee in my toilet. It’s especially nice to not live out of suitcases. There’s something liberating, almost gratifying about emptying my suitcases and putting things back in my closet or dresser. After weeks of living in a state of constant mobility and the mental stimulation that travelling ensues on my already weary mind, this silver fox yearns for a return to normalcy. My circadian rhythm will be rather discombobulated for the next week or so, but I’ll deal with it like I usually do.
It is no secret that I dislike flying, but this time around, in lieu of whining about the brutality of economy class air travel, I attempted to make the most out of a bad situation. Actually I even talked myself into looking forward to this long haul. Don’t get me wrong, I am no disciple of masochism, and I still loathe the cramped seating and stale re-circulated air that goes with economy class air travel. However, after 7 weeks of indulging in the good life and riding the social safari that our summers in Canada usually entail, my loner instincts were once again calling for a pause from the wild bohemian lifestyle (that is as much of a wild bohemian lifestyle that two sexagenarians could muster up living in the Wild West End of Vancouver). Simply stated, I kind of got to a point where I craved boredom and routine. 
When I got on that plane of Tuesday afternoon, I looked upon the ensuing 19 hours as my personal in-flight retreat. Seat 72D of Flight MU582 became a zen like space, albeit cramped, but still zen like, as I was being hurtled at 800 km/hr in my metal tube ashram 30,000 feet in the air.This particular trip back to Bangkok for us was special in that it represented the return to our last academic school year as international teachers. As mentioned in a previous entry, Thailand will be our last hurrah when it comes to our living overseas on the international school circuit. My career path as a teacher/school administrator is about to edge off as I transition into becoming what I like to call a free agent in education. Lots of food for thought as I wrap my head around this impending new stage of my life.
I look at the years ahead as a time to reach my personal potential as a human being. I will have stepped off the education administrative hierarchy ladder and will no longer battle to reach the next rung. I will not be pressured into learning new things, I’ll be free to ‘take it or leave it’ with whatever comes my way. I will not need to grapple with some of the cognitive limitations that come with aging, especially in the continual avalanche of ubiquitous technology in education. I will have said goodbye to problems getting to sleep as nothing stressful will be waiting in the wings. Demands on my time will be few so I will be free to pursue what interests me. One of the most compelling reasons I considered for transitioning into this next stage of my life was my health. I want to enjoy an active retirement that includes swimming, biking, hiking and the like, and since good health is as coveted and illusive as a black pearl for anyone over fifty, I want to improve my odds by not waiting until things start falling apart. I will continue working out so as to stay in shape and keep off the pounds. I will stay healthy, I don’t mind becoming an old fart, but I do not want to become a fat old fart. I will no longer let the clock dictate my day – I will be in control. Next year I will begin to design the life that I want to live. Hopefully by the time senility sets in, Madeleine and I will have accomplished our dreams and be ready to sit on the balcony on Bedingfield, looking at the ships go by and blissfully rocking in tandem. Lots to think about, too bad I only had 19 hours…
Be. Enjoy. Breathe. Appreciate what I have. OMMMMM.
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