I've been on sabbatical for a month. This first month will be like no other. My travel starts in a week, a trip to the Philippines, then the end of March a 10 day trip to South Africa, K arrives, then another trip to the Philippines, more family arrives then L comes. There will be time in March to practice my sailing and bridge and maybe even gain a bit of proficiency or at least lessen the confusion in both, but this first month was special because of the newness and aloneness of the time. I'm not lonely, although I am getting a little tired of eating most of my meals alone, but the aloneness for this extended period of time is a gift and also challenge.
I met a friend of the head of LeapFrog, a very successful CEO, who is on a break, looking for his next challenge and he talked about the freedom to allow the mind to wander, to think and not to have to focus on outcomes. It's harder than it seems. In true fashion I wrestle with the guilt of not wanting to waste this time and still being luxurious in letting my mind wander. Whenever I mention how decadent it feels to leave the office at noon for a sailing lesson, I'm reminded by AK that I should substitute deserved for decadent. Doesn't everybody deserve to have this kind of freedom to think and wander? I'm pinching myself to make sure this is real, thinking how lucky I am to be on this sabbatical. What a gift. The gift of time and space.
Got a wonderful lesson on "how to talk about LeapFrog" from the founder. It was more about how can micro-insurance play a role in breaking the cycle of poverty. If we can visualize the world's wealth in a pyramid, with the top being most people living in western countries, the very bottom the extreme poor who live hand to mouth, every day, the rest are in a cycle of moving out of poverty but being one event, one illness, one death away from going back into poverty. A Lloyd's study reported the number of people in that category is between 1.5 and 3.5 billion people. What would happen if something could be created and provided on an ongoing basis that would support the families so that the event, illness or death wouldn't send them back to hand to mouth existence. That is what micro-insurance, insurance for the masses is all about.
The greatest need is health insurance. And it is also the hardest. If the US can't figure out how to provide health care for the masses, it is daunting to think of doing this for the 4 billion in the world outside of the US who really need it. Australia has a national health insurance, Medicare, that is similar to the British system and I am constantly asked how the US can possibly have so many people in our country uninsured and why there is such a battle on the topic. They don't understand and nor do I.
Thinking also a lot about the distribution of insurance for the masses, the role of technology and training. Are mobile phones the answer? Do we need to train a group of agents who can gain the trust of the poor? Whoever solves this issue will win big. Both in market share and the social goal of reaching the next billion.
After last weekend's two plays and museums, I decided this weekend to focus on sailing and swimming. Took the ferry to Manly yesterday and walked to Shelly Beach. K and I visited this spot 25 years ago and the restaurant was still there. I think it might be the perfect spot for my sister's birthday when she visits the end of April. I swam, sat in the sun (with my 30+ sun screen) and later had a nice lunch at a little cafe. I have been so virtuous in my eating of healthy food, that when the fries were delivered with my seafood salad, I inhaled them. I guess the body does crave junk food every now and then.
Lots of folks were snorkeling but I forgot both my mask and camera on this trip. I remembered my sun screen, water, hat, sun glasses, reading glasses, maps, ferry tickets, phone, keys, book to read.... but forgot my camera. Next time I'll post pictures. The Australians have a great expression on avoiding sun burn. Slip (on a shirt) Slap (on 30+ sunscreen) and Slop (on a hat). The sun is brutal.
What is is about water that makes people do stupid things? Coming back on the Manly Ferry which was packed on a sunny Saturday in the summer, we passed a 30 ft. yacht with about 12 men in polo shirts and shorts, drinking beer and the lone woman stood up, topless and waved to all on the ferry. The men on the ferry waved back with abandon and the guys on the yacht smiled. Not to be outdone, after changing ferries at Circular Quay (pronounced key) and heading back to my home port of Double Bay, there was a party boat packed with guys and two were standing on the roof of this boat in their BVDs, dancing and having a good old time. The party boats, lights, music blaring and shrieks are a fixture on the bay until past midnight these summer weekend nights.
A cool front is coming in, or so says my sailing instructor. I am getting a handle on the C to F conversion. Basically double the C temp and add 30. Close enough. The Queen Mary and QE2 are to arrive in Sydney Harbor early Tuesday morning. They will sail right by my balcony and I promise pictures. Until then.
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