Woodstock vs. Panama

Woodstock's 40th anniversary...the press is ringing with the good, bad and indifferent for the impact of this event on our lives.

For me, Woodstock was an expression of the times rather than something that creates the times. This event arose from the 60's rather than shaped the 60's and beyond. No 60's, no Woodstock.

Anyway, a friend sent me an article about Woodstock and this got me thinking. Never a good idea, me thinking.

I didn't go and I am grateful for that. After all, 3 days of thirst, starvation and mind numbing mud is not my cup of tea. The music would have been wonderful but not in that discomfort. The bragging rights to say "I was there" might have yielded enough mileage to justify the problems, but I think not.

I will have to admit that Woodstock may have catapulted Yella, our friend and I onto the road to play music in the 70's.

Or maybe it was simply YOUTH. What a fantastic time of life. We would pick up and head out in any direction in those days. And we did. Carefree, blissfully ignorant of life and infinitely energetic.

Some may think that our relocation to Panama is a second childhood, emulating the spirit of youth and our adventures in the 70's when we were on the road playing music.

Not really.

After all, I created a detailed spreadsheet to justify our move. Where is the spontaneity in that. And every little setback sends us into a tailspin where we consider returning to the US with our tail between our legs. No resilience of youth there.

No this move to Panama is something different. This is the mature version of "Let's get crazy!" Is "mature version" an oxymoron?

We are trying to make the best of the advanced years of our life by stretching the dollar so we can live more comfortably. In paradise, of course. Without the economic necessity of living in a third world nation, I doubt we would have had the courage to make this move.

I must admit, there are many attractive attributes to an adventure like this. I am grateful that the economic push made this possible.

I am sitting at a window, looking out down to the sea, through a symphony of green, leisurely drinking coffee, relaxing before Spanish class...

I wouldn't be doing that in Colorado. I'd be commuting to work, struggling to make it through the recession, wondering why my life lacked inspiration.