I recorded my life in 2020 in great detail, 2020 WWIII - Coronavirus. This year I will do quarterly updates of highlights. But I will not link to articles I read as I did last year during the unfolding spread of a novel virus.
On January 6th, I spent many hours watching CNN’s coverage of the stunning drama of events on Capitol Hill. Later in the month I watched more than a little coverage of the second impeachment of Donald Trump. And on January 20th I watched the inauguration of Joe Biden. I do not want to spend more time on these events and will not record my thoughts. All I will say is that there is no joy in observing the growing problems in the United States.
In January I was advised by an acquaintance that Rosalind Robinson had died. This was sad but not shocking. I met her in 2018 when she joined the Lakeside Pathfinders group I initiated. At that time she already knew that she was slowly dying from pulmonary fibrosis. I liked her instantly. There was never the slightest angst present in her, always calm and peaceful. And she continued to be a seeker, seeking answers to big questions with great curiosity and only a little urgency.
As I often do, one Tuesday morning in January I walked to my bank, HSBC, to get cash. We live in an area that is mostly a cash economy so having cash is important. But the branch was closed with a small sign stating that the closure would be indefinite. I went back the next day but the ATMs were empty. Now this caused me some anxiety because we would soon need to buy groceries. A couple of days later there was ample cash at the ATMs. This situation continued for about three weeks until the branch reopened. We assume that there was a Covid-19 case amongst the bank employees.
On January 7th we received an email from the Canadian Consulate in Guadalajara announcing new, strict travel restrictions for entering Canada. I had started paying attention to news about coronavirus variants in December so I was not surprised. But these developments again impressed upon me how much we do not know about this pandemic. We have no plans for travel to Canada at this time, probably not for a few years. However, we are looking forward to a time when we once again have visitors.
On January 11th there was an Ordinary General Assembly (AGM) of Condominio San Juan de las Colinas via Zoom. A new Board was elected and I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders. However, I have agreed to continue as a bank signing officer and to assist the Treasurer with those duties. In March there was a Town Hall Zoom meeting of all owners which I reluctantly attended. My Condominio involvement is quite a story which I have not yet written, not a priority.
On February 14th I spoke at Open Circle but, unfortunately the audio on the recording failed. My speaking notes will not mean much to others but I will make them part of the record. I was pleased with myself in regards to the delivery of my message. I wore my tuxedo shirt and had my hair in a pony tail, not having had a hair cut for about a year.
I was very pleased to see some familiar faces again. However, I felt that the event lacked the buzz of the time before pandemic restrictions. Attendance was much lower, so many empty chairs and much social distancing. And I noticed that the mission statement was not read at the start. To me, that felt like a piece of the soul of Open Circle was missing. Last year Open Circle transitioned to becoming a program of the Lake Chapala Society. I am curious what this activity will be like when we all return to a new normal.
Worth mentioning are my enjoyable mornings with Pat. Last year she read Live Long and… What I Learned Along the Way by William Shatner. Some mornings Pat would read interesting passages to me. That was followed by readings from three books written by Frank McCourt. And more recently she was reading to me from Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. I am looking forward to the next time that Pat reads a book that interests me.
Once again we are spending money on repairs and maintenance, now accepting this as an annual requirement. And once again my irrigation pump failed and needed replacement. Also, zone 2 of my irrigation system lacks adequate pressure and the repair man has not come yet.
Every Monday morning I met via Zoom with my new friend, Brendan. But we did not connect for some unknown reason on our last attempt. And he is not responding to my emails so I am concerned.
The Ajijic Book Club meetings via Zoom continue and the books and my reviews are posted on the ABC website. But I did not read the February or March selections because I am choosing other books to read that are more important to me. However, I did read the April selection which I greatly enjoyed.
Pat and I continued our monthly Zoom meeting with our friends Ken and Trish.
Ethan Chau and I exchanged Letters 10 to 15. And I started a new conversation on Letter with Charlie Derr who I met at Collective Presencing. However, he prefers email exchanges so it remains to be seen where this conversation goes.
There are several 1st Quarter items that have their own website page: