At Nagoya Castle
So this year I took my first travel after Ruth’s death. Truthfully, there is no fun in going anywhere any more, and I’ve had no desire to travel. But I am doing this for a number of reasons. The first is to force myself out of my doldrums. Even though traveling without your significant other hardly holds a thrill any more, it is in forcing oneself that helps one keep active in life. But to do so, I had to find a reason to travel. So, secondly, I went to Japan (primarily Nagoya, Kyoto, and Nara) to look at the buildings and artifacts that captured the serene spirituality of the culture there. Looking at spirituality from other cultures enlivens me.
And I also went to Penang, Malaysia, where there was a conglomeration of cultures. Penang was/is at the crossroads of multicultural trade, much like Los Angeles today.
And finally, my last goal was to see if Penang was a sound place to retire to. In truth, retiring with the state of the medical situation here in the U.S. is frightening, where money is more the motive than actual care. The name of the institution here should be changed to reflect what it really is: from “health care” to “health cash.” I wanted to see if there was another place where I can live and get reasonable health care. I may talk about this at another time.