From KT – October 27, 2010

Yo DaVita!

I am on a plane flying from Paro, Bhutan to Bangkok, Thailand.  There we will catch another flight to Siem Reep, Cambodia.  Exciting!

Bhutan is a fascinating country, filled with amazing mountains and thick forests.  The Buddhist culture is very strong, as many young children continue to choose the life of the monastery over the life of normal school and commerce.  They have had the benefit of 100 years of benevolent and thoughtful rule by a succession of 5 kings, all of the same family.

The current King has begun the transition to a democracy.  The philosophy of the Kings has been to place as much emphasis on culture and spiritual happiness as on economic development.  They did not allow TV or the internet until the year 2000, and restrict the volume of visitors.  They teach mindfulness in all schools.

All in all, some strong philosophical parallels to how we think about DaVita being a Village instead of a normal for-profit company.  Including how DaVita University invests in enhancing self-awareness and a sense of team and community much more than most companies.

As to the MM III, it has been a pretty good showing.  Out of the 10 days in Bhutan, I only missed exercise twice – one of those days is today, with the multiple flights.  We have done some rigorous hikes to see ancient temples on the tops of hills.  On other days I have done some fun biking up and down hills and through villages.  I have not been good on the stretching and balance fronts, and I cannot do push-ups because my left shoulder is in too much pain.  I will not bore you with all the minutes, but the bottom line is I am ahead of plan.

I hope you are all well, and moving towards the 2010 campaign conclusion with strong momentum that will carry on in your life.  I also hope some of you have been taking a moment to share your encouragement and ups and downs with the rest of our 1172 partners.  I look forward to reading all the notes when I return.

Take care,

KT