It’s cliche. It’s overdone. And yet, it’s mighty useful to take the opportunity that December 31 delivers to look back on life’s twists and turns for the period past and to prognosticate or at least visualize the coming period. For this blog entry, let’s first take a short trip down memory lane.
Closing out 2009 – top 5:
1 Empty Nesters’ successful transition and move to Nicaragua
2 Our four boys happily relocated in their respective cities of choice (San Francisco, Portland, Santa Cruz, Austin)
3 CO2 Bambu secures investment in the nick of time
4 Multiple solo gallery exhibitions for Peta’s Stray Dogs of Nicaragua series as well as record sales, which paid for our move to Nicaragua
5 Awesome trip to Ecuador
Closing out the 2000-2009 decade – top 5:
1 Highly successful blending of Kaplan-Pollack-Sandzer-Bell family under one roof in Highland Park, IL (with additional close-by family expansion through move of Peta’s sister, Dina, and niece, Shani, from Israel to HP).
2 Peta’s breast cancer survival
3 Ben’s varied and rich professional endeavors, from Boeing Air Traffic Mgt, to launch of Ethnicities (together with Peta – import of Argentinian ethnic furniture), to AAR strategy, to start up of CO2 Bambu
4 Fabulous travel: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Paris/Antibes/Aix en Provence/Brittany (France), Cuzco/Lima/Vichayito (Peru), Amsterdam (Holland), Venice/Florence (Italy), Barcelona /Ronda/Granada (Spain), Rajasthan (India), Granada (Nicaragua), Antigua (Guatemala);
5 Acquisition of various four-legged family members: (dogs) Mango, Dwayne, Mcgrupp, (cats) Sally, Charcoal, Penny, Thurgood, Redford, Caballero, Pablo; (French Lop rabbit) Browser
Prognosticating 2010 – top 5:
1 CO2 Bambu takes off
2 Optimal health as a result of transition to 80% live food / vegan / vegetarian lifestyle
3 Travel to India, Vietnam and ?
4 Peta’s proficiency in Spanish
5 Numerous friend and family visits to Nica: Josh/Krista, Dina/Shani, Boyd, Jason (?), Ezra (?), Lois, JB (??), Niki (?)…
And while we are at it, prognosticating the 2010-2019 chapter of our lives:
1 Sell the house in HP (profitably!)
2 Green Global Trek continues and we find ourselves living in another, yet to be determined country (or two?)
3 TBD green business venture as a sequel to CO2 Bambu
4 Publication of a book based on our Green Global Trek and associated blog
5 Something fundamental, yet completely unknown to us at this point…