As I gaze out at the sparkly Atlantic Ocean here in mid-coast Maine,  I am 95% retired and contemplating the end of work assignments in just two weeks.  It’s an awesome prospect, huge–I can’t ever recall being without a job or contemplating going to a new job.  It’s oddly liberating to think of having so much free time for reading, cooking, travel, friends, and grandchildren!

I am currently reading Roxana Robinson’s beautifully nuanced novel, Sparta, about a young Marine officer just home from Iraq after his four-year tour of duty.  He is irritated by, impatient with, and frequently angered by his family and everyone around him since they can’t understand what his recent life has been.  They are clueless and unaware and seemingly indifferent.

In some small way, I won’t know what it’s like to be retired until I fully am.