retirement: day one

Yesterday I punched out for the last time and drove away from the post office. One last look in the rear view mirror at those familiar white trucks brought back memories of the thousands of time I drove away from that building. There were times when the trip home was over ice and snow and it took more than two hours to travel the twenty miles. Going home after dark was a common occurrence when we had a heavy load of mail and not enough people to carry it.

I want to think of it not as driving away, but driving toward a new life, a new beginning. My family was waiting for me at home to celebrate not only my retirement but my 60th birthday. I spent the evening just watching each child and grandchild, savoring them. They're all beautiful, each one a jewell.

Dorothy and I also celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary this week. She's responsible for all this. If I had not met her when I was a kid the idea of working for a living would have never occurred to me.