Diary August 1, 2000

At last I think I am really ready to do it..to make a plan for this one last year...one last year..and then work it out to the end of the year....

Retirement

You do not have a lot of money for retirement income, but you should have enough

Making the decision to move here in 1998 ...here at 300 Peachtree St. places you in a pivotal place for a great many opportunities...

Yesterday you drew out a map....

Peachtree Center Atletic Club - 6 to 8 am, then maybe an evening swim before bed..at 7....

Breakfast.....8 to 9....

9 to 3,4...not so late as 6....volunteer work

CARE (2 days a week ?) APL (Auburn Ave.Branch perhaps ?) Crawford Long - library ? Atlanta Medical Center - library ?

If it is writing and photography that interests you perhaps you could arrange to work in pr work in these areas.

Spend Fridays with Eden and Saturdays and Sundays with Phoebe ?...leave on the noon bus for Rome, go to church with her at the Episcopal Church, then come back on the 4:00 bus ?

School...arrange to take a class (maybe just audit) at GSU every semester...one or more ?

Your only expenses:

1.) Condo fees 2.) MARTA and Greyhound bus 3.) telephone, communications - IPO,cell phone, regular telephone 4.) Food - and plan this very carefully to see that you will be able to tie money saving with diet 5.) Health insurance 6.) Other medical fees and dental costs 7.) Admissions to events...such as concerts, plays, etc.

Or...maybe this is not such a good idea after all.

If what you should be doing is helping Phoebe, then perhaps you should plan to "mothball" the condo and for the next year get serious about Rome...getting involved so that you can get Phoebe involved....

Really live with her, and get involved in Rome Public Housing..the activities for older people there..as you are in fact one of these people yourself. Get involved in the Episcopal Church...

Humility, Elizabeth, humility should perhaps be the virtue you are looking for.

If you want to volunteer for PR...consider this in Rome...

Come back weekly for 3 days in Atlanta, perhaps...PCAC mornnings for 3 days, and also ...well, now that you really start to look at the issues it does seem like there is more to do than you really do have time to do....

So..what next ?

E


Living to 92

Earlier this year I read something that has relevance to my planning

"A woman who reaches 52 today and remains free of cancer can expect to live to age 92"...and then I added "26 years ago was 1974 - the year your marriage really fell apart..the year before Phoebe married, only 2 years after the job moved to Boulevard...the year you turned 40...."...

So it would be that many years left...

I cannot plan ahead for too many years, but I could plan to make 2001/2002 "Phoebe's Year" and my year in Rome Georgia. Rome is interesting, it is certainly as interesting as Hamilton New Zealand, and very similar.

As I think about this I feel resistance, I feel that it is not something I want to do..and yet do it could.

Well, Elizabeth, right now you have enough to do to finish up this year ...but perhaps you can start planning the rest of this year with plans for the future...a future with Phoebe in Rome.

First you should really go up there and spend some time with her..some time in Rome to decide how you really might want to get involved.

I wish I could get excited and start thinking yes, yes....this is what I want to do. I can't.

Well, deal with today...

Come back to this tomorrow....

A dialogue with yourself...in the end that is what we have...ourselves and what we pay attention to, what we say to ourselves.