How would I sum up my life to date? This would involve four broadly defined stages, I would expect: childhood, youth, middle age, and dotage. The last stage is likely to split up into two in due course, but it is still but a single stage at the moment. Well, my childhood was blissful. I had a great deal of freedom, and the future shone bright. Close to my parents, I learned a lot from them and their closest friends, many of whom were exceptional people. My youth was wonderful, too. My studies were a joy, and I was blessed by love for a woman early on. Another great love, crowned with a child, and much joy with studies complete the picture. My middle age was all over the place, though. Good jobs, some academic successes, divorces and marriages, many love affairs, two more children, and an early retirement from heaven. My dotage has been marred by my own stupidity early on, but it is otherwise quite delightful. The greatest love of my life, this time mercifully without children, and much freedom to write and paint in an idyllic world few of my friends can even imagine. All in all, there is little to boast about, but quite a bit to rejoice. A loving and trustworthy partner, and I use the term advisedly, reasonable security, good health, few desires or fears, and a flickering light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Enlightenment within sight, to put it bluntly. Now, does this sum up my life to date? Hard to tell at present, but it will surely offer a great deal to laugh about in the years to come.