Today ends my streak of four consecutive poem posts, so it’s back to writing about the mundane daily routine. I’ve gone back to the beginning of this retirement blog and there are 232 poems featured in total or about one a week. This last week of the year includes some important anniversaries, including my retirement four years ago and the twelfth anniversary of my running streak. I look forward to continuing both of these traditions. This blog and “The Streak” are daily rituals that have helped me transition from the working world into a more leisurely lifestyle.  

My 70th Christmas has now quietly passed in anticipation of a much better year. This is the time I should be touring the world, but instead I’m stuck at home. There’s a lot to reflect on this past year, including the decision on where to build on retirement home. We’ve sadly lost friends and family members in the process. A cousin died on Christmas Day to add another sour note to the 2020 melody. Months have gone by without seeing friends and dream trips have vanished. We’re all hoping that the New Year is more prosperous for everyone. 

We look forward to sunny days, sandy beaches, and watching the grandkids grow up. We soon leave behind our Portland family after nearly seven years of residence. This follows six years in Austin, six years in central Illinois, and over twenty years in Indianapolis, starting in 1985. That’s thirty-five years of personal history, half of my lifetime. It’s time for New Year’s resolutions, as we move on to the Florida stage during the sunset of our lives. Routines and acquaintances will change in the process. There are also a number of Midwest friends that come to Florida every winter, and others that will want to stay with us for Spring Training games at the neighboring Braves facility.

Today is just another Monday, but the last of 2020. I just answered the door for another Flaviar shipment. This time it included a bottle of House Lannister Game of Thrones single malt scotch whisky (as it’s spelled in Scotland without the e) from the Lagavulin distillery and a tequila tasting, so I’m starting the week on a positive note. The Dow Jones is also off to a good start with news of the stimulus package. But…”Winter is Coming!”