So take me to the airport
And put me on a plane
I got no expectations
To pass through here again
No Expectations-Jagger/Richards
At this juncture I have been up for just shy of five hours. Breakfast was oatmeal with raspberries. Had some decaf with cream. Exciting gourmet stuff, isn’t it?
Today has some bright spots, the temperature is hovering near 34 degrees. Compared with the last several days it is positively balmy. I have taken the opportunity to get one of my three walks of the day in. Soon as this is posted I will set out on walk number two. Trust me I got my walks in yesterday but it was soooo damn freaking cold. My brain told me not to go out but there was that voice that said, “You have got to go and do it.” I listened to the voice. In the winter I try to walk 20 minutes three times a day. Still, the knees are old and the cold temperatures make them complain.
As I walked out this morning, I saw a condensation trail of a jet travelling from west to east. Almost reflexively I began humming No Expectations. If I had my hearing aids in, I would have brought the Stone’s song up on Apple Music and sang along far off key as is my way. Dogs flee when they see me shambling down the street singing along to dinosaur tunes.
Seeing that white slash across the brightening sky I was reminded that I have no wish to be here. Right here, right now I am a prisoner to a virus. At this moment in time, I am incarcerated in my home by those whose assert individual rights without accepting communal responsibility. Ugh. I so want to be back in Portugal struggling with the language, eating mussels in wine and garlic broth and wearing a tee shirt and shorts all the way up to November 1st.
Monday was two years since I retired. Truth be told I don’t miss work. What I miss is the human contact. I like talking to people and my job was the perfect venue to talk to a great number of different people. Not all of them we sane or healthy but almost to a person they were freaking interesting. The BSC among them just amazed me.
My life is one of ritual. From brewing the coffee in the morning to flipping the light switches off when I go to bed there are set and defined patterns. While I remain here in the US the ritual is none too spectacular. Today’s big activity will be categorizing last year’s uncategorized entries in Quicken. I heard the IRS’s warning about the kafuffle this tax season will be. Thus, I have got to get those taxes done early.
Soon I plan to be sitting in the garden by the aqueduct in the Amoreiras area of Lisboa having an espresso and eating a pastry. Life is short. Simple pleasures should be embraced.
Well said. We, at least, have beaches. And no snow. And a lot less gray skies. Miss some of our coworkers too. Not all, but some…..and they know who they are.
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