First Five

Five years ago I started a blog that was supposed to document my plan to live the next five years as if they were my last.   Well, I made it through those five years, but certainly not unscathed. 

I lived in Scotland for a year, and in Bhutan for a month.  I made several trips to Thailand and Burma, and helped to grow our NGO - TBBHI - and for that work I was given a state and a national award by the American College of Physicians.  I also made two shorter trips to Hong Kong.

I moved from Scotland to Albuquerque and then to Seattle and bought a slightly used new Nissan Sentra, and a new Nikon DSLR camera.  For fundraising I had two photography shows in Gallup, one of pictures from India and one from Bhutan.

While in Scotland I wrote a first draft of a memoir of the year I spent in Greenland.  I’ve created a calendar each year of black and white photos I’ve taken, also several small books from various trips I’ve taken.

I read somewhere that many of the most important events in a man’s life happen when he is not there.  I believe that is true.

My grandson Oran was born while I was away.  My son Derek died, as did Brad, my father in law, and Blanche, my stepmother.  Life changing events all, and I was powerless or absent for all.



Next post: The next five years!