Monday, May 03, 2010

snow white awaits


I am having a two dwarf morning -- I am Sleepy and Grumpy.


It is an old joke.  And, for me, this morning, not entirely accurate.


Because Heigh-Ho/Heigh-Ho/It's off to work I go.


This is the first day of my six-month return to my old job.  My primary goal is to train my successor, and that should be a rather easy task.  He is intelligent and more than willing to speak truth to power -- something every good attorney (at least, those who take their role as counselor seriously) needs to do.


It will be interesting to see how many of my habits I acquired in Mexico will follow me north.


The first to die will be my siesta.  I will miss it.  But, in our environmentally-controlled building, I will not need to worry about the somnolent effect of the afternoon heat.  But the opportunity to recharge my brain in the afternoon will be a distinct handicap.


Then there is the issue of time. 


Some friends were trying to arrange a meeting with me about work last week.  I told them I would stop by sometime after I finished my blood tests.  They asked when will that be?  I said somewhere between 9 and noon, I guess.  That would be the range I would use at home in Mexico if I had a medical appointment.


That response did not elicit the type of nonchalant shrugs I receive from friends in Melaque.  My work colleagues asked if I could be a bit more specific.


The request initially struck me as being a bit obsessive -- until I remembered I am in the land of clocks, not my home: a country that has forgotten time.


I will probably adjust to that one quickly.  After all, my old life lived by the clock.


Adjusting is not going to be a problem.  The problem may be the cost of adjusting.


I saw my doctor last week for a catchup appointment.  The first thing he did was check my blood pressure.  It was perfect.  Admittedly, i am still on medication -- but a rather mild dosage.


I would hate to see it sky-rocket again.


One of the major factors I used to retire at 60, rather than 65, was health.  In one weekend, Tim Russert died, my brother had a medical incident, and a friend's father had a major heart attack.  I had also noted that the obituaries in our local bar bulletin contained the names of attorneys -- over half of whom were younger than I was at the time.


I did not need to understand Einstein's Theory of Relativity to know that it was time for me to retire -- while I was at the top of my profession and still breathing.


So, I return -- knowing that who I have become in Mexico will need to go on hold, but only for a limited time.


But the bottom line is I thoroughly enjoy the work I will be doing.  Like the dwarfs: 
"We dig dig dig dig dig dig dig in a mine the whole day through/
To dig dig dig dig dig dig dig is what we like to do."


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'm sure you'll get used to living by the clock again. guess there's not much choice when you're working.

hope your ankle is healing nicely. when does the csst come off?

have a good week.

teresa

Unknown said...

Welcome to the world of the UNRETIRED. “Houston”, excuse me, “Salem we have a problem”. Hopefully you won’t burn up, blow up or disintegrate on reentry. NO NAP! What are they thinking. How can you be expected to transition from moving at the speed of a three toed sloth to light speed without a siesta. Good Luck and just keep repeating “it’s only six months, it’s only six months, it’s only six months”.

Calypso said...

Bummer dude - hate to see you back in the rat race up there.

One Small Voz said...

I am 29 and feel like I am already retired on some level.

Anonymous said...

You're fortunate to have work that you enjoy, have a good boss, and especially fortunate to be able to walk out in six months. My cousin, as a young girl, believed that her father worked in the salt mines. It seems he always said "off to the salt mines" as he left for work. Your six months will pass quickly, and soon you'll back were you really belong.

Armand

Irene said...

You're only here six months and you're in Oregon during the best time of the year. Yeah, yeah, I know snow is in the forecast for tonight; as the Cowardly Lion would say, "Unusual weather we're having, ain't it". I am confident you will figure out a way to take a small nap everyday, maybe at lunchtime.

Chunk Foster said...

Please, get back to Mexico. Your blog is always entertaining, even from Oregon.

But, If you are going to be up there, take a cool rafting trip and blog about it (after your paw is better).

This is one of the best blogs out there. I love how you update it every day.

Steve Cotton said...

Teresa -- For some reason, the second day was harder to get up than the first.

Darrel -- All time passes.

Calypso -- But I intend to fully enjoy it. And then I will get back to working on being retired.

Leah -- There is nothing like the feeling of being fully retired.

Armand -- Amen to that.

Irene -- There are few things more pleasant than spring and summer in Oregon. And we managed to dodge the snow bullet.


Chunk -- I love rafting. If I can fit it in the schedule while I am here, I will do it. Thanks for your kind comments about the blog. I obviously love writing it.