I’ve long considered myself a winner in the game of life. I don’t mean that in a collect-all-the-marbles king-of-the-hill sort of way or a made-all-the-right-moves hit-all-the-right-notes sort of way, either. No, I mean it in the way implied by the quote in the image at right. I have known far too many good people who just never got a chance to grow old. That I have that chance is certainly enough, but I’m also appreciative of having pocketed a few marbles, climbed a few hills, made the right choice now and then, and nailed a few high Cs even if I went painfully off-key a beat later.

Thursday the 14th was the first day of my second decade of retirement. That’s hardly a record, but it’s a fact that some retirees I’ve known didn’t make it to the second year; Some barely made it into the second month. I recognize that being able to develop my talent for doing nothing over a whole decade is very much a privilege denied to many and I appreciate it deeply. Even though I declared myself a winner in the opening sentence, I hope to keep playing for quite a while. As I’ve said many times, this retirement thing is the best idea I’ve ever had.