Retirement – Bah, Humbug – –

Jack gets over the line in time again – –

There’s an old saying that you die three times – if you’re interested you can search on-line.

It’s the same with retirement!

I retired from my college job in Scotland when I was sixty in 2002, but not really as I was immediately head-hunted as a training consultant by three different organizations and continued to do that until I moved here to the US.

For a couple of years I really did retire, but then we moved to Big Stone Gap and opened a bookstore. While Wendy was out establishing her health support non-profit and fighting the dragons of the US for-profit health industry, I worked the bookstore. It was a big old building, so I had a fair amount of maintenance to handle, but I had also been invited to start a weekly Celtic music radio show by the local NPR station. Because we lived in the bookstore building we ran regular evening events and had a café run by a friend. So not much retirement – –

We moved to Wytheville five years ago to a house that’s even older and has had many ‘interesting’ additions over the years and has a much bigger backyard. Meanwhile Wendy is at least five years away from retirement and still busy with at least three different jobs!

So I may actually be retired now but I’m still producing and presenting my radio show, still trying to keep the house maintained, still organizing small group tours of Scotland and finding my feet as a house-husband.

As I often say to friends who say they’re looking forward to retiring – “there ain’t no such thing – it don’t exist – it’s all a hoax!

I better bring the washing in from the line now – – –

Love, Love is all you Need – –

Jack gets over the line just in time  –

Today is what would be called in Scotland a ‘dreich’ day – grey and drizzly and depressing.

What doesn’t help is that Wendy is gone for a week. First to Ohio for a day of radio production training, then to Jonesboro Tennessee and now in Atlanta for a medical conference.

She won’t be home until Friday and the house feels empty without her.

Meanwhile I follow her instructions and the list she wrote of domestic duties.

Of course she made sure I wasn’t left alone all the time – making sure that friends would spend time with me which was touching.

Wendy has a favorite piece of writing by Thomas Hardy from ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ that goes something like “And at home by the fire, whenever you look up there I shall be— and whenever I look up, there will be you.”

By pure coincidence I first saw Wendy across the square in Jonesboro twenty-eight years ago and I was determined to get to know her. I was never happier than when she said “yes”.

So, if you have a partner in your life cherish them and thank whoever you believe in that they’re there.

Like everyone we’ve had a few ups and downs but she’s been the love of my life throughout and I will be very happy to see her home again.

Hold those you love close!