Welcome.
This is a blog chronicling a four year period from 2006-2009
during which I underwent what is commonly referred to as a midlife crisis. At that time I had been in Japan for 10 years
continuously, and for 15 years of the past 19.
Since 1988 I had been – and continue to be – a teacher of English as a
Second Language, initially at the secondary level and later in colleges and
universities.
In 2006 I was 45 years old.
I decided to leave my jobs to study thangka painting in Kathmandu. I did this for a total of one year over three
visits spanning three years. The details
are in the blog. Along the way I did a
lot of other interesting stuff – I attended my first Vipassana course (I just
finished my fifth a couple of weeks ago), visited the four major Buddhist
pilgrimage sites of India and Nepal (plus a few more), met a tulku, took refuge
from the Karmapa, walked a 1200km pilgrimage in Japan, took lay ordination in
Soto Zen, and jumped off a 165 meter bridge with rubber band tied to my ankle. The adventure took a different turn in 2009
when I moved to the Arabian Peninsula to teach English at a women’s college (which is where I remain as of this writing).
As this is a blog, the contents are displayed in reverse
chronological order. If you wish to read
chronologically, perhaps the easiest way is to scroll down to Blog Archive
(located just after Fukuoka Sky in the side bar at right), click on 2007, and then
on January. All the posts from that
month will be displayed on one page, with the first post of that month
appearing at the bottom.
There is also a companion blog about my Shikoku
pilgrimage. You can find it here, or
through a link in the side bar, just after About the Author.
Looking back I’m surprised at how much I did during those
four years and how those activities gave my life a new trajectory. Should you be contemplating a similarly
radical departure, I hope my story provides inspiration and convinces you that
your wild idea may be possible. I also
hope you have an equally loving and supportive spouse.
Jeff
September 2012
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