My name is Robert, I am 82 years old, divorced, with two of the most wonderful kids in the world: Kimberly, who is 40, and Karl, who is 35. I am a young looking 82, healthy, but not wealthy. I do all right, but I’ll never live in the mansion on the hill – think small shack in Booneville.
As to what I am, that is hard to pin down – I am still changing. Like everyone, I am a mixture of good and not so good. Some things have been constant. I am a poet and a mathematician, and a retired hardware engineer by trade (who has fallen into software times). Somehow “engineer” means a person governed by logic, but that has never worked for me. I design by intuition, and then use logic to “verify my witchcraft”. But it does mean that I am a “head” person.
Since 1999 I have been very active with Vipassana meditation retreats and other activities at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre. I guess you might say I am on a spiritual quest. In that quest I have discovered that there is just so much you can do by looking inward and now feel the importance of relationships. My ex-wife and I are friends, and we had a friendly divorce, with caring on both sides and a mediator to help us across the few rough spots.
In most matters, I am somewhat eclectic – I pick and choose rather than accept the whole package. A little of this, a little of that, trying to keep the good and avoid the bad. At this point in my life I am trying to stop denying what is true and affirming what is false, a bad habit I have had up to now. Maybe doing the opposite will make me happier.
Talking and listening are my favorite pastimes. But beware: I tend to overdo the talk and under do the listen. Once my five-year old grandson, the Magnificent Caulder, said to me “Grampa, listen more”.
Driven by curiosity (which may explain my fondness for cats), I consider myself a seeker. Kimberly (my daughter) said that is a terrible thing to be. Until recently I thought I was looking for something, but it now seems as if I just enjoy looking.
I am gregarious loner, a very open closed person, and stay mostly by myself when I am not with someone. A bit of a stay-at-home, but I do get out – with friends, hiking, and other adventures.
Every since she was a child, my daughter Kimberly often said “Daddy, when you are an old man I will take care of you”. Now I am an old man and she has kept her promise. I am retired and living with my daughter and her family in Auburn Washington. I spend my time reading, hiking in the woods, playing with technological toys, visiting my family and friends, and taking short “see America first” trips. Most mornings I am playing with technology and afternoons I enjoy the miles of hiking trails in and around Auburn.
Pictures
The two pictures above describe me.
The first picture has three Tarot cards: The Fool, the Hermit, and the Magician. I am a fool, I do foolish things – and glad of it. You can only learn from your mistakes (if you did it right you already knew). And remember: the fool is the only one that can tell the king the truth. I am a Magician. All during my career I built things that worked (engineer) and made things work (technician). I am also a Hermit, living in solitude yet not lonely. I also like being with people, so I call myself a “gregarious loner”.
The second picture contains a painting by Henry White. I commissioned him to paint it. In the early 60’s, I went to a summer camp at the end of the Princess Louisa Inlet in Canada. One day, while sitting quietly near the falls I had a vision: The falls was life pouring down on me. I was holding a cup trying to catch it. I was so frustrated, it was an impossible task. When he was done, Henry had me stand across the room from the covered painting. Then he removed the cover. Wow! He had seen directly into my mind!
Robert Bruce Johnston