It is a Sunday here at the Woodbine Rehab facility in Alexandria, so only the regular staff is doing their basic maintenance for the seniors and disabled crowd held here. No Physical or Occupational Therapists in evidence so a sort of industrial calm is present on this floor with no loudspeaker announcements to break the air.

Got an interesting note on the Internet about the passing of Martha Wilcox who had been suffering from cancer. Some old Navy pals were with her at passing- that moment of flicker between “now” and “forever” contained in a short but emotional note.

Notification came from Navy pals, who stated they wanted me to be there, so that adds to the imperative on finding out how to get released, either permanently or for the service over at the DeMaine Funeral Home to show support. The brief note was powerful in it brevity and the observation that a small group was present at bedside to witness her departure.

Death having been a matter of considerable consideration lately, it struck a note.

The clock change and various wars in progress helped define the other landscapes of a pleasant day on the banks of the Potomac. There was earnest discussion about an increase in deaths and other unpleasantries from an adjustment to the clock so small as to be almost unnoticed in what passed in our professional or personal lives.

We had an exchange on social media about the magnificent display of the Taj Mahal by a pal that lead to a discussion of how a number of colleagues had similar displays due to provision in Joint Travel Regulations for rest in the course of performing official duties since New Delhi is nine and. a half hours ahead of Washington, leaving a full day of what is essentially paid leave.

The rest time accrued in a trip from Dulles International Airport to New Delhi was basically an entire working day, a provision which permitted execution of a hurried group tour to the magnificent Taj instead of the specified hours of rest from the hurtled around the globe in order to be fresh for business in the world’s largest democracy.

When I was tasked to lead a legitimate but very small Presidential Delegation to Delhi at the time of enhanced interest over Pakistani nuclear testing, I elected to hire a car and driver to take a tour of the elements of the old British Raj as it might have been in 1948. It wound up in an old cantonment familiar to the driver and a chat with kids playing cricket on the pitch in front of the low buildings.

Without a directive to produce a memorandum of understanding, we had an opportunity for more free-wheeling discussions with Indian officials who we discovered were later arrested.

We were not sure what, although over the rich aroma of the Dunhill cigarettes that had appeared in one of the airports we had a frank discussion about how the world’s largest democracy might better get along with the one currently most powerful.

Anyway, the Taj outlasts all that and is highly recommended if you have official business in that direction any time soon. We will continue to figure out how to live this life as we get organized to leave it, either in the short or medium terms and wish you a very cheery day of time change and a pleasant Sunday!

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