This morning I found an electronic-mail message from Alex Tudor, one of my cousins from the States. My father’s father and his father’s mother were siblings. His parents moved to the States soon after the end of World War II. Anyhow, he started by asking me point blank whether I was still a fervent environmental activist or had the forces of money and bureaucracy ultimately won. As an architect with many years of practice in Florida, he feels that a golf course would not go well with a medieval town like Motovun. He added that he got briefly involved with a similar project close to Zadar, where he had some friends, but that the whole thing folded because of the corruption of the local authorities. He knew there was corruption there, but he was still surprised by how deep it went.

I was delighted to hear from him, of course. But my response focused on his straightforward question. I replied that I was neither an activist any longer, nor that the forces of money and bureaucracy had won. Instead, I chose to retire for real. As for the golf course, it faded together with the real estate bubble that was at the heart of the last global boom. Although I am still in court with the mayor of the hilltown, I will eventually win the case. But than I added that I would dabble in politics never again. Development follies should be left to themselves. People will in the end realize what is what, albeit a bit too late. As for me, there are better things to do at my age.

But here comes the clincher. I was thinking about ways to tell my cousin that I was into yoga, as well as all of its eight limbs, but I could not come up with the right words to say what I wanted. Time after time, I erased everything I had written. Every hint at enlightenment as the only worthwhile goal in life folded after a few awkward words. In the end, I realized that it would be best to abandon the attempt. Yoga is my own thing, and there is hardly any way to share it even with people close to me. Unexpectedly, I felt fortunate to have my Residua at hand. This is where I can say anything that comes to my mind without fear of misunderstanding. This is where I am the only remaining judge. Delighted by this discovery, as it were, I turned to my magnum opus without delay. What a relief to be writing to myself!