Life is all about change ...

It's a Thursday afternoon.  Three PM.  Isn't there something pressing I should be concerned with?  Some deadline that awaits my attention?  A task that requires my immediate and dedicated time and energy?  

Hmmm ... laundry sorter is empty.  Sticky dishes aren't lurking on the counter.  Bed's made, clutter is assigned to quarters, bills are current.

Email is distinctly NOT caught up ... but I refuse to categorize that as a job, inasmuch as it will keep forever and no harm will come to any beast or human if it never happens.

There are books everywhere within eyeshot, the majority of them unread ... but that, too, is NOT a job to conquer.  That is a treat to savor ... whenever.  

There are naps to take, crosswords with which to tickle my brain, walks to walk.  There are people to call, email, text.  There are friends available for coffee, conversation and more walking.
  There are ample numbers of challenging, enjoyable, rewarding projects to keep me busy for the foreseeable future.  And therein lies the joy of the time stretching out before me.  Choices.  Personal freedom.  A bare minimum of stress.  

The realization is coming to me slowly but surely, and the conscious dawning of what is happening makes me smile.

About a week into this recuperation time following back surgery, it became apparent to me that something major had changed.  My willingness to accept physical disability as a condition of ongoing employment had disappeared.  From there it was a short leap to the thought of retiring.  I'll be 65 years old this fall -- it's really a no-brainer.  An entirely new chapter of my life is starting and I want to take full advantage of it.  I want to protect and preserve the new state of health I've been given.  I see myself doing a lot of walking, consciously monitoring what sorts of food go into my mouth, and keeping the daily stress level to a dull roar.  VERY dull. 

Kim will continue his work as Depot Chef and Bar Manager, and life will go on.  I am so grateful to him for his instant assessment that health comes first, ahead of any sort of financial consideration or "the plan."  That in itself is enough to make me want to walk miles every day and do everything else in my power to regain my energy.  We have lots of life to live together!!