The simple life soothes my soul. And there’s plenty of that here at Lago Bay in Panama. It’s a pretty exceptional place. Beautiful, remote, and quiet except for all the sweet, chattering parrots and their feathered friends. This delightful paradise makes it easy to leave all the world’s troubles and chaos behind, at least for a little while.

            My partner Margaret and I have taken a respite here and fortuitously discovered a whole other world. With nowhere to go. Nothing to do but walk on the beach or lounge around our private pool. And plenty of time to reflect on life while the living is easy.

            I feel like we’ve stepped out of time into a different dimension. Away from our normal lives, even from our ‘normal vacations.’  What a gift to be able to see everything from such a unique vantage point.

            This remote, tropical haven has given me the time and space to re-examine my life and evaluate what is most important to me now. What’s come into sharp focus is my desire to slow down, to live life at a more simple, quieter pace.

I will turn 79 next month. As I head toward my eighth decade on the planet, I can feel myself changing on a cellular level. My mind is not thinking of what I need to do next. My body is content to stay still. My spirit is filled with gratitude and love. I am here now. Where I want to be. And that is so good.

That’s not to say my concern for the future of our country has diminished in any way. I just know that I no longer have the energy to take on the big challenges of our time the way I used to. So, I won’t be leading the charge to make the world a better place. But I will lend a hand when I can; it just will be on a much smaller scale than what I’ve done previously.

With one critical exception.

  I intend to do whatever I can to make sure Donald Trump is soundly defeated at the polls next November. Our democratic republic will fail if Trump is elected. Though I may have serious disagreements with President Biden on his Israeli-Hamas war position, as well as a few other policies, I believe he is our best hope for saving our country from Trump’s authoritarian rule.

            At the same time, I’ll continue writing my blog and memoir, work on house projects, and support my community. I’ll also be rooting for the next generation to have more success improving our world than mine did.

Bruce Berlin

A retired, public sector ethics attorney, Berlin is the author of Breaking Big Money’s Grip on America (See breakingbigmoneysgrip.com.), the founder of New Mexicans for Money Out of Politics, a former U.S. Institute of Peace fellow, and the founder and former executive director of The Trinity Forum for International Security and Conflict Resolution. He can be reached at breakingbigmoneysgrip@gmail.com.

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