7 January 2020

OK, so for years I've been telling my friends that on 7 January 2020 I'd be out of the country.  Why? Because on that day, as hard as it is for me to believe, I'll be turning 60. The trip has, at least in my tortured imagination, turned into a giant fuck you to growing old. The decade of my fifties, although it started off pretty horribly, turned out to an amazing time. I traveled all of the world, spent a ton of time with wonderful friends, and was blessed to have love affairs with two extraordinary women (and almost, although not quite, managed to marry them).  I am far less optimistic about the next decade, which is shaping up an endless series of medical procedures. But, then, who knows? I wasn't looking forward to my 50s and that was wonderful. Where am I going for this Trip of Excellence? Well, that's a secret, or at least it's none of your business (or anybody's, for that matter). As I've told my friends, just pop onto Twitter or Facebook that morning and figure things out based on a picture I post. I did the same thing when I got back from Sana'a, Yemen, and my friend Sanford figured it out instantly (a lot of years reading National Geographic, would be my guess). As tends to be the case this trip has taken on a life of its own over the years, which, doubtless, is my own fault, which means that there's no way I can back out now. Actually, the bigger problem I'm having is finally convincing myself to spend money on myself, which, traditionally, I've not done. One of the ways that I insured that I would finish a closer reading of Remembrance of Things Past - and for that matter to insure that I continued my year of intensive reflection of my own personal faith - is to make both of them public through featuring them on this blog (or at least public for the eight people who read my blog). Similarly, I'm forcing myself to plan the trip and actually make it by making it a public promise. Essentially, I'm prostituting myself out to TechDren (the non-profit which I'm a part of that provides laptops to elementary students in Zanzibar). I'm selling bets on exactly where I'll be on 7 January 2020 for $5 a piece (you can send along as many proposals as possible). If someone wins then they receive two things: 1) unrelenting glory, and 2) a free dinner from me on my dime.  All the proceeds goes to TechDren (meaning that I'm paying for the entire trip on my own). Several folks have already donated and sent along their picks (which I'll share down the road). Obviously, much more on this later, including the attempts of my friends to spirit out where I'll be. Truthfully, no one knows.