nostalgia?

Yesterday, while Dorothy and I were in Tahlequah, we saw two letter carriers (old friends and workmates) going about their routes. We also had lunch at the same place I lunched every day for years while I was delivering mail. I felt a certain wistfulness while remembering the years of working for the Postal Service. Not that I want to go back to it. No, it was a physically demanding job and I was getting too old to do it. And the technological changes over the years had changed the job so much that I felt I had outlived my era. Let the kids have it.

I'm excited about retirement. I work at projects here at home every day but not to the point of exhaustion. There's nothing that needs to be done that requires urgency. I like a slower pace. I've returned to painting and I feel that is my true vocation (in addition to being a husband, father , and grandpa).

I'm looking forward to this new life of retirement, but I can't help being sentimental about my work friends, customers and experiences I've had over the years.