When one reaches middle age, priorities become clearer (and urgent!) and if one is fortunate enough, the wisdom is already in place to serve as guidepost along the way. And so this is my personal timba (bucket) list:
I have already set in place my plan to retire early from full-time teaching (why wait for the mandatory retirement age, indeed!), use my retirement/pension to put up a research/reading center at home, pursue my other ambitions (join the Palanca, write a book or two), travel abroad, enjoy life as I never did before.
So right now, I am writing my MBA thesis proposal (Plan B: teach at local grad schools after retirement). I am compiling my favorite songs on a CD that I plan to play in the places mentioned in them or associated with them (New York, New York, Weekend in New England, Theme from Schindler's List, you get the picture?). I also have to update the drafts for the Palanca entry and book(s) on my hard drive. Since high school, I have been buying books and these books will serve as the centerpiece of my research/reading center at home which will be open to the public (for a fee, of course!). The center will also have a viewing room for classic films on DVD which I have been collecting.
When the inevitable happens, I know I will die peacefully surrounded by my books, films, CDs and the company of fellow bookworms.
The Moleskine Notebook is courtesy of Avalon.PH
http://www.viloria.com/go/go.php/avalonph
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2 comments:
Here's hoping for many, many happy years of being surrounded by books (and readers).
Thanks for participating, Gilbert! Early retirement sounds good to me, too. :)
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