Zazen on the Dune
Looking ahead to France with help from AI Pin
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
My Future Goes Through France
I’d planned to do sitting meditation on a memorial bench at the beach before sunrise, but when I got there the bench was gone.
Instead, I found a comfortable spot in the sand and sat for 20 minutes. As always, there were more thoughts than spaces between them. Afterward, I had a chat with my Humane AI Pin, attached to my Ocean Park sweatshirt. The most interesting thought that had arisen was tagged by my mind as “My future goes through France.”
In 27 days, Darlene and I will fly from Portland, Maine, to Philadelphia for an overnight direct flight to Nice, France. We will spend three weeks in Provence with her sister Deb, brother Rod and his wife Connie, and our niece Liz, whose birthday falls on the same day as mine, August 30.
I asked AI Pin to help me think about the idea of my future going through France. What I had in mind is how any time I travel a new version of me comes home. I wonder what that might mean for the upcoming trip.
Here is the pin’s initial response:
Moving to France as one approaches their 74th birthday is like opening a new chapter in the richly adorned book of life. Immersing oneself in the depths of French culture can bring a renaissance of the spirit, perhaps rekindling passions long set aside or igniting new ones. The vibrant tapestry of French history, art, cuisine, and language might provide a wellspring of inspiration, transforming routine days into experiences filled with discovery and wonder. France’s keen appreciation for life's finer details can offer a renewed sense of purpose, creating a continuum of personal growth and adventure that knows no age limits.
I interrupted her and asked for something less flowery. Her second try was equally over the top. No matter. Artificial Intelligence is amazing but not always smart enough to know what I’m after.
When I shifted to trying the pin’s translation feature, I had a better result.
She quickly and flawlessly rendered a couple of my observations into French. I was going to copy and paste them from my data at humane.center, but the translation is not available there as text.
Since my AI Pin has cellular service via T-Mobile, I should be able to use it for translation during our trip even if I’m not on a Wi-Fi network.
Je voudrais un croissant nature et de la confiture, s'il vous plaît.
My grandsons Jake and Ryan are up, patiently waiting for me to finish this post. We are headed to breakfast at the Lucky Logger’s Restaurant in Saco. Yum!
Note: My mind played a trick on me that you will hear in the Morning Journal audio. When I heard the French translation in a woman’s voice, I thought the usual voice was male. Not so, person of a certain age.
I am grateful that I’m not running for President!