I could easily pull a muscle trying to remove my compression socks every morning. It’s a struggle with tired muscles after a sweaty run. At least, I’m awake by then, after reading in bed, getting dressed, walking the dog, and pre-run stretching/strength exercises. It feels good to sit down at my writing desk, even though there’s little to report. I’ll remain here until the call comes in from our home construction manager as he checks in with us the first time. He can give us the scoop on what has been done already and their planned timetable for completion. It will make this move seem less of a dream, with a little dose of reality. 

Yesterday, it was more episodes of Shameless and Fargo, along with another Timbers victory. My wife had a lengthy conversation with her sister while I watched the game. It all seems so sterile without fans in attendance – like watching a video game of robots. The World Series celebration by the Dodgers seemed silly and meaningless. There’s been no one to watch the games with me and no high-fives, just an occasional text to assure that we’re all watching the same battle. Who knows when we’ll all return to the stadiums and bars?

It seems like I spend most of my day blocking telemarketers rather than having meaningful conversations. They are the only phone calls I get anymore. We’ve all lost our social habits, with not much to talk about and limiting our exchanges to a few words here and there. “Have you voted yet? I just did! OK, now what are we going to do?” No one wants to hear about any travel plans and a trip to the grocery store is the big outing of the week. I cooked my pork chop meal last night and mailed out the Halloween cards for my grandkids. We also had an exciting visit from building maintenance to repair our door locks. 

I’m not looking forward to the extra hour we will soon get with time change, but will be glad to not get out of bed in the dark. There will be no trick-or-treaters to prepare for this year. I’ll be wearing my retirement uniform of blue jeans and a Columbia shirt, although I have made the recent switch from short-sleeve to long-sleeve. With the only reason to leave the house being runs and walks, I rarely but on a collared shirt any more as was the case with date nights, fundraisers, or events. Those special occasions do not exist anymore. The last time I put on a sport coat was in Las Vegas 8-months ago, and I’ve gone tie-less all year long. My tuxedo is lost somewhere in the back of the closet gathering dust. As much as I sometimes hated to go to those affairs, they would certainly be welcome now. Not to mention, the struggling efforts of not-for-profits to raise money. 

I don’t envy those that are working, even thought it’s now typically from home. I’m grateful to those essential employees that still have to report to the office every day. It’s also tough to do any sales job in this environment without the opportunity for face-to-face calls and entertaining. I’m glad to be no longer involved at any level of business. It’s a good time to be retired, but hardly the day on the beach that most of us envisioned. We’ll have to continue to be patient and hope that soon there will be a semblance of normalcy as we once knew it.