MTANGA

Not a fruit, vegetable or drink; she is a lady. She is about 55 years old but VERY well preserved and although there is an age difference between us, she keeps me safe and I cannot imagine life without her. She has no vices, is very well equipped and slowly she has shown me all her charms.

Life IS an adventure and we should take every opportunity to make it so. I have met many people of my own age who, once they have retired, can think only of living out their final allotted span of years either in the house in which they have always lived or in a “home” surrounded by others of a similar nature. Not for me!   To paraphrase Hércule Poirot, “you need something to keep the little grey cells moving” – a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly agree.

Retirement, and especially the last three or four years prior to that momentous event, is a time not merely to reflect on what we have (or have not) achieved, but THE time to plan for enjoyment. I did; and although my “five-year plan” eventually stretched to seven, I can now say I am content with life (if we exclude politics and the economy), something of a rarity perhaps.

Obviously, I have no idea of your circumstances, and a life given over to writing and peripatetic activities is not for everyone – thank goodness. Nevertheless, without what I call a five-year rolling plan we tend to just drift and then wonder where life went. It is a tough activity and as I have said in a previous blog, so many things happen around us that stop us from pursuing our chosen path. I would suggest that setbacks and compromises are a part of life and we have to steer round them to the best of our ability. From my heart, I wish you every success!

And after all the doom and gloom of recent blogs, I come back to “Mtanga” – it’s the Swahili word for “wanderer” – and the name of my boat and here she is:

Until next time (with charm and no vices),

Peripatetic Scribe