Friday always feels good, even in retirement. The goal of course is to make every day feel like a Friday, but even after three full years of not working, there’s a certain energy that accompanies this special day of the week. I usually plan a lunch for the opportunity to get together with friends and share in celebration. “Leadership Meetings,” as I call them, are a tongue-in-cheek tribute to all those business affairs that I used to attend. If three attend, it’s a conference and four or more constitutes a convention. Unfortunately, my group of friends available to attend is dwindling. One went back to work, while another moved to the Coast.

Today, I’m getting together with a high school classmate of 50 years ago to talk about all the responses I got on Facebook after putting our initial reunion picture out there last month.  I have never gotten such an overwhelming response from a single post and heard from so many long-lost hometown and school acquaintances. He is not a fan of social media but did not look at it as a way to reconnect with people. I think he will enjoy the interaction I received, as it will bring back a lot of memories. He moved to Portland over 30 years ago, while I’ve been here five. It’s still hard to believe that we both ended up finding each other 2,200 miles away from our Elkhart, Indiana start in life. Two others in my circle of Portland friends share a similar upbringing, but not nearly as much time passed between re-connection. Plus, I sought them out when I moved here. 

I feel like my wife and I need to get in another movie this week to take full advantage of our unlimited passes, especially after being away for two weeks. We saw 1917 on Monday that was a bit of a disappointment. At home, I’ve been watching The Expanse, while the two of us are enjoying Better Call Saul. We’ll go out to dinner tonight, just as we did last night that was officially “Date Night.” We’re definitely back in a comfortable routine, resting up for our next adventure. 

If I had to rank Fridays, the lowest would go to those when working. “Holiday Fridays” made them better, especially if it meant a three-day weekend. A “Vacation Friday” would hold an even higher status. Even though there are technically no holidays or vacations in retirement, Fridays are even better now, just like every other day of the week. It makes me think back to school days and  “Summer Fridays,” although only temporary before classes started again. “Retirement Traveling Fridays” top the list. Today is a “Homebody Friday” with a lunch twist. I wonder how many Fridays I have left in life? Regardless, I do intend to relish every single one and the time in between.