The first month of freedom

Can the act of smiling wake you up in the morning? 'Cause each day since I retired I swear that when I opened my eyes, there was already a smile on my face! Some days I'd wriggle back under the covers and grin for a while before finally rolling out of bed. I'd pull on sweats and a t-shirt, and wander out to the kitchen to start the coffee. While it brewed, I'd open up all the blinds in the house, open the kitchen windows, and listen to the birds chirping in the camellia bush just outside. If the day was warm, I'd walk barefoot out on the porch and survey my private gardens, see what plants had pushed their way to the surface, and which rhododendron had started to bloom. Some mornings I'd see our neighborhood mule deer grazing in the old orchard, or walking down our driveway to the private road. I'd fill the bird feeders, then walk back inside in time for the first cup of coffee out of the pot.

Each day, Dave would call with the same question: "Are you bored yet?" And my answer was always the same: "No, but I'll keep you posted."