Answer to Phil

I was seated at the bar with a friend of my brother, a good guy. I mean, he works for a living, and he' s heard I've quit my job. And so, after a few drinks he asks, "dude, what's your plan?" And I couldn't answer. So my goal for tonight is to come up with an answer that I could give Phil.

1. The "I am working on a book answer." This one tends to satisfy most people, even myself occasionally. I talk about a book project that involves my spending a year traveling to China, India and Greece. That is not a complete description of the project, but it is accurate enough. I say it involves examining the three great wisdom cultures of the world to see what if anything they have to say to us today. After that I am going to take about six months, write the book and then probably go back to school and get an MSW.

2. The "I am going to travel around the world" answer. I just say, I don't know man. I am just exhausted and need a break. I am just going to travel around the world until I get tired.And then I am going to come back and figure out what I am going to do.

3.The five year plan anwer. I say, for the next five years my plan on teaching one semester in China and then the rest of the year just living somewhere very simply, very cheaply and writing.
4. The Peace Corps answer. I tell him I am biding time until an upcoming Peace Corps assignment and that now I am going to travel around Asia for a while until that comes due in May or June sometime.

Well, those seem to be the options I have come up with.