As of 4 o'clock today, I am officially retired. I actually haven't worked since March 28th, but have been using up vacation time while in the hospital and in the recuperation process. It has been during this process that I realized that I just can't physically deal with a full work week anymore. A part-time schedule is not available, and would not be financially feasible...not to mention it's unlikely I could cut it anyway...in addition to numerous contortions I have to go through to access files and the "tools of the trade" such as the phone and computer keyboard and other such goodies, I have to spend much time answering that dang phone and conducting phone interviews...and since my facial muscles are also weakening, the more I talk, the more I sound like Droopy Dawg from the cartoons ("hello, folks"). In fact, given how long I made somewhat of a living with my voice, that in many ways has been the toughest part of this deterioration process to take so far (along with swallowing issues that make certain foods a memory, like pizza and sushi, and the knowledge that 2010 was the last time I am likely to see my beloved Disney World).
So, although I had hoped to make it to 25 years, and as fat a pension as I could get, I did fight the good fight for 22, and take comfort knowing that a lot of people in similar circumstances would've bailed out on disability years ago, so I WILL allow a bit of self-congratulation in that regard. And while we won't be rich, we should be ok paying the bills (although ONE of those 3 second place fastest finger rounds turning into first place might have helped make things a little MORE OK...oh well, I tried my best..
). And I will celebrate the knowledge that I can still eat SOME yummy things and not be restricted to a feeding tube, and I can still go to concerts nearby (Ringo on 6/25 and Paul on 7/5...and even if those WERE to be my last two shows, how appropriate that they would be the 2 survivors of the quartet that got my whole musical obsession started in the first place!). And I can catch up on the books and cd's and dvd's that have been piling up in recent months.
AND MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THE BONEYS NEXT YEAR WILL BE ON TIME FOR ONCE!!!
And so, the next chapter begins...
Just pity my poor wife who now has to put up with me more often...
"#$%&@*&"-Donald F. Duck
