Hola, y’all.
This is the day before my wife and I leave for NY, where everything yesterday was nice, peaceful and quiet.
As you can see, Poochie is not happy about going to the dog motel later today.
This trip is going to be a prelude to our long-delayed return to sane Portugal in September.
I have talked about that in recent prior posts, so no need for motivational repetitiousness.
The real issue for me right now is this:
Can someone who’s going to be 71 in August — that be me — do what I wish to over the next five years, at a time when many Boomers have concluded that their days of creativity, relevance and adventure are well behind them?
My ridiculously ambitious 5-year plan currently stands as follows:
- Stay alive and healthy as long as possible
- Move to Portugal, and become proficient enough to read Pessoa in Portuguese
- Write a novel, or two
- Spend quality time visiting various islands along my beloved Mediterranean
- Never run out of money again
Can anyone realistically accomplish all these things at my advanced age?
It will require a fair amount of neural plasticity, to say the least.
Do I still have that?
Do I still have what it takes?
I spoke 3 languages fluently by age 4.
I traveled widely across 3 continents by age 16.
Then I moved to Florida at age 49, and my mind died.
Is it now even possible to imagine one day declaring, like Prufrock: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead”?
Writing is the lonely curse of foolish dreamers.
Here are two short vids that summarize what the mercurial Professor Moi’s assistant had to say on the topic, 8 bloody years ago:
Still applicable, but ever more so? 😦
Peace and love.
Leaving Amerika 
Yes you can do all that!
I am a 76-year–old Canadian who obtained his D7 residency card in June. I attend language classes three days a week for two hours at Cambridge School in Lisbon. I am unilingual in English. My career was in aviation and I have published two aviation history/biographies. I hope to pick up my writing anew in Portugal. Perhaps when you come here, we could meet?
Wayne Ralphhttp://Www.barkervc.com
Wralph6313@gmail.com
I was thinking of spending a day or two in hilly Lisbon and go pay my respects to Pessoa’s statue sometime in late Sept. Let’s keep in touch and see if we can make this meeting happen.
On the road in September, but can meet you in Lisbon anytime from October 6th, and will be resident here from that time into mid-2023. Hope to cross paths.with you.