Pie in the Sky Adventures #60

"Retirement, Reflection, and Readiness: Countdown to Our Next Adventure"

Lot’s to share this week. You might imagine that preparing for our first trip of any duration in 8 years ,combined with closing down our frozen food business of 4 years without day’s off, might be unusual. It is. Pleasantly so.

Retirement at 86 years is strange. The lack of concern about so many small things formally known as business is lovely. However that time and those thoughts have been replaced with new concerns that any ‘packer planning’ person is familiar with.

We are of the ‘small is beautiful’ club. A small casita equals not so much stuff. Or so it seemed before sorting. What to save and what to give away, and shouldn’t the tools of our trade be loaned to people who can  put them to good use while we’re away? What happens if we decide not to come back? Lots to think about and we leave in days. Lots of “look what I just found”.

All this is possible because of friends and family donating to our cause in a “GoFundMe” campaign. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-don-and-teri-access-vital-medical-care This is week 3 and we are close to our stated goal. 

It looks like we’re ready for the men’s and the woman's testing package, offered by Bancock Hospital, Chiang Mai. The cost of this extesive series of tests, around 700 U.S. each.

Our friend used the results and touched down at various clinics and health centers to find treatments more in line with his way of viewing health care than the ‘Western’ mode practiced in BHCM. However, their tests are said to be the best. We’re ready.

Trying to put our gratitude and thanks for the warm support and donations from 40 people into words isn't easy.

This is what G. K. Chesterton had to say about it: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder."

Very nice G.K.

"Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world."
— John Milton

We are Grateful.

In addition to thinking about what to pack and still keep it ‘light’, we have been able to sell all of our inventory. So Clean freezers for 3 or so months, one more project crossed off the ‘to do list’. I find to exist without ‘lists’ is difficult but it’s so much fun to cross them off yesterdays list. Cheap thrills.

Teri is a woman of many talents, one of which is teaching. She also knows things like dying and batik. She has had a friend who would like to learn so she can give classes herself to help suport her very needy family. That promise had to be filled before any interruptions, like flying around the world, got in the way. Well today it came together for Teri and her class. All had fun and learned a lot. This is what we have been up to, ‘clearing the decks’

So many thing get shoved aside and linger in the dust bin of the mind until forced to deal with. We are trying to force ourselves to clean the slate of ‘put off things’ before we leave. In days!

We will continue to share our adventures with you as we glide along'. I could go on rambling but I have a chalk eraser in my hand and the slate isn’t clean yet. Talk soon. We love you all and are Grateful.

Don and Teri

We hope you are doing well and hope for you a good week.

Dear subscribers and other readers we thank you for your support and interest in our weekly adventures. We hope you find them interesting enough to share with others who might also enjoy reading them. Thank you.