It is coming to the end of a gorgeously sunny and spectacular holiday weekend (for most, it's three days off, but for me, it's four). Memorial Day is today. A federal holiday in the US in remembrance of those men and women who died while serving in the country's armed forces. It was really strange to wake up Friday morning and for Ray to be in bed still asleep. Since we have owned the lake house, I always take the Thursday afternoon off before the holiday and drive ahead to the lake house. I buy groceries on my way down and enjoy the quiet until everyone else starts arriving either late Thursday night or Friday. Ray always worked Friday until about noon, and he would then try to beat the traffic to get here. The traffic usually beat him. This weekend was super! He was home, and we walked for five miles, which included walking to The Barn, so I could get the local paper. I do miss reading a newspaper every morning with breakfast. (I can get over this ritual if it means retiring, sleeping in and not commuting to work.)
We then lazily sat on the deck and sunned for a while thinking our one roommate would be here early in the morning. Just about the time she arrived after lunch and closer to two pm, we had decided to suit up and go float! We were hot! I am NEVER in that lake water this early in the season. This is unusual for me. But I was hot on the deck, the water was cool, and to float above the water on the raft, was superb. I had just bought a big Jane Goodall floppy hat, and life was great! Our roommate joined in the float, then shortly before dinner her sister arrived, pork chops were thrown on the grill, and we enjoyed a delicious dinner on the screened in porch.
Repeat for the next two days the above paragraph adding another roommate coming down on Saturday afternoon along with another sister and niece. We chatted on the porch, ate hearty meals, the humidity was low, the sun was bright, there was a slight breeze, and the lake water got a little warmer. Ray walked with me all the days, but once, and then I was alone and off to The Barn I went again for that newspaper. Today the walk was much shorter (I could finally sleep in a bit, and I didn't care about the paper), Ray chose not to float, the neighbors were out with their grandchildren on boats and jet skis, and again, life continued to be great! Meanwhile, and I don't blame her one bit, our daughter chose to enjoy her three day weekend spending time hiking at parks, getting her lesson plans done, maybe seeing a movie, and not getting stuck in three hour traffic to be here at the lake. She knows that soon we will all be off for a good month, and our time spent with her won't be limited to the weekends.
Now this week I have twenty-three patients to see. Three days of work. I start an hour later tomorrow morning. I blocked my eight am slot a long time ago--just because. I have many more patients this week that are patients that will only see me as their dental hygienist every six months. Last week I spent a lot of time chatting with these same kind of patients. I chatted into my lunch hour. I chatted with patients up until their appointed hour was completely done and then some. I chatted until the clock struck five pm. I expect these next three days to be the same. Chatting more than usual (hard to imagine!). Explaining my future plans. Saying goodbyes.
I spent a few hours last Monday after work having dinner out with nine co-workers and one of the newest dentists. What a great dinner that was--to spend a little bit more time with the same girls I had gone away with a few weekends ago and with this wonderful dentist. There are some more changes that will be happening soon that coincide with my last week of work. I am eager for these to occur and will elaborate in another post. This Friday I will have a lot of time to myself to reflect on the past, present and future. Ray is having lunch with a very good friend of his from his Giant Food days, and then he is having dinner with co-workers from the law firm he just retired from. I will be alone in the lake house. Ah, forget reflecting! I will sleep in, walk to The Barn, daydream, read that newspaper, float--all of the above or maybe none of the above. All I know is bring on Thursday night! Bring on retirement!
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