the last paycheck. the day hath come.
—
*‘fear no more the heat o’ the sun, nor the furious winter’s rages.
thou thy worldly task hast done, home art gone and taken thy wages.’
– william shakespeare, cymbeline
*i know shakespeare wrote this about the final goodbye, but it also works for commuting and retirement
how exciting to find a real working payphone
caused me to do a double take
the umbilical cord connecting to many a ride home
the joy of finding a quarter in the coin return.
—
“the telephone gives us the happiness of being together yet safely apart.”
*mason cooley
—
*mason cooley, 1927-2002, was an american aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. One of the aphorisms Cooley developed was “The time I kill is killing me.”He was professor emeritus of French, speech and world literature at the college of staten island and an assistant professor of english at columbia university.
above created by a 7 year old boy, met by doctors without borders
– on world refugee day
“Humanitarianism is about more than medical efficiency or technical competence. In our choice to be with those who suffer, compassion leads not simply to pity but to solidarity. Solidarity implies to demand a minimum respect for human life and to recognize the dignity and autonomy of others, and asserting the right of others to make choices about their own destiny. Humanitarianism is about the struggle to create the space to be fully human.”
-doctors without borders
—
“in a way, the same is true of the immigrants.
they have contributed in their way to the flowering of the community,
and their individual striving and suffering have remained unknown.
unemployment is not decreased by restricting immigration.
for unemployment depends on faulty distribution of work among those capable of work.
immigration increases consumption as much as it does demand on labor.
immigration strengthens not only the internal economy of a sparsely populated country,
but also its defensive power.”
-albert einstein, in a speech at the World’s Fair, New York, USA 1939
capybaras are herbivores, therefore harmless to other animals around them.
they’re easy-going semi-aquatic mammals, social, friendly, and gentle,
and get along with just about everyone,
so it makes sense that other animals would enjoy their company.
be the capybara.
—
image credit: the atlantic magazine
not my house or cats, but i get them.
—
when you are having
a private informal window of opportunity urgent under the radar ad hoc committee meeting
there is a quorum
someone opens the closed door and peers in
odds are incredibly high
this is the same person
who is the subject of the meeting.
—
“you can’t knock on opportunity’s door and not be ready. “
-bruno mars
—
image credit: google images
getting ready in the morning
i made a quick decision
to throw one light piece of laundry
down the stairs
rather than carry the extra three ounces
down seven stairs to my washing machine
tucked away in a little closet
such a brilliantly lazy choice
i instantly realized my mistake
when it caught on a piece of art
hanging along the stairway
ripping it off the wall
sending it reeling
into another wall
creating a divot
the art tile on the wood
cracking in two
the nail lost deep in the carpeting
went down the seven stairs
now easy
with three ounces less
than i would have had to carry
stepping over it all
walked into my kitchen
flipping on the light
which answered me with a sudden ‘pop!’
a lightbulb had chosen that moment to blow out
i took in the spectacle of it all
sat down with a cup of coffee, a piece of chocolate, and a bit of music
another day had begun.
—
‘i think you have to let go of this idea that you can be precious about everything,
and let it be the abstract mess that it is.’
-ryan reynolds
i love their sense of humor about this
despite the entire town
being under construction
enduring random outages
having traffic-related ‘disturbances’
their coffee place is open
still standing
it’s up to you
to creatively find your way there
the coffee is damn good and worth the odyssey.
—
“humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. the minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield,
all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.”
-mark twain
—
image credit: roos roast coffee
what a wonderful retirement celebration
with sweet surprises galore
very kind words from friends/colleagues
comedy, a musical serenade, lunch together
songs i wrote with our music teacher made into a beautiful book
a fab dance act from my favorite movie
an explosion of glitter
book of words, poems, haiku, photos, glittered pages, memories, hopes
and of course
so many wonderful pinatas
you can never have too many
filled with special things for my journeys ahead.
they know me so very well
thank you one and all
i had the time of my life.
“always surround yourself with people who inspire you to be a better person.”
-d. denise dianty
how i imagined my first day of retirement
but alas
it’s getting my tires switched, finishing report cards, and running errands
but i did sleep in until almost six
so there’s hope for tomorrow….
—
“my goal is no longer to get more done, but rather to have less to do.”
—
art credit: by kilkeny killkeny cats
I didn't have my glasses on.... 