When I retired, my first impression about my new lifestyle was that I no longer needed a calendar. When you\u2019re not working, every day is Saturday \u2014 of course, you still need to remember when you\u2019re playing golf and which day is trash day. I guess I\u2019m not entirely calendar-free, but I definitely don\u2019t have to check and update my schedule every morning.<\/p>\n
My lovely wife, Joanne, has adapted well to my stay-at-home status, but I don\u2019t think she quite realizes how important piddling is to retirees. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, \u201cpiddling\u201d is the art of looking very busy but accomplishing very little. The most accomplished retirees can piddle all day. I haven\u2019t attained that status yet, but you better believe I\u2019m working toward it. In fact, the only degree I\u2019m pursuing in retirement is my Ph.D. in piddling.<\/p>\n
I spend several days a week up in Ola, where we have a cabin on Squaw Creek. It\u2019s the perfect place for me to get away and relax, especially as an avid fly fisherman for over 60 years. Squaw Creek offers the ideal fishing environment, with plenty of solitude and 18- inch native rainbow trout. I share the cabin with Joanne, assorted family members, bald eagles, and bluebirds. Occasionally, we\u2019ll have an adventurous cougar stop by for an afternoon or evening.<\/p>\n
The human residents of Ola are even more wonderful than the animals. They are friendly folks with a penchant for earthy, sagacious advice. \u201cThe only reason to ride a bull is to meet a nurse,\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t let your yearnings exceed your earnings,\u201d \u201cNever ask your barber if you need a haircut,\u201d and \u201cAlways drink upstream from the herd,\u201d are just a few of the most memorable pearls of wisdom I\u2019ve heard in casual conversation.<\/p>\n
In August, I\u2019ll be traveling to La Paz, Mexico, for a fishing trip of an altogether different nature. The lines will be deep in the water in hopes of luring some roosterfish, tuna, dorado, and sailfish. These trips have become something of a yearly ritual for me, and I always look forward to them. If I still had my old calendar, I\u2019m sure they\u2019d be circled in red ink.<\/p>\n
When I\u2019m not fishing, you can probably find me with a book in my hand. I watch CSPAN\u2019s book programs and hunt down the titles they discuss. I also spend a great deal of time with my seven grandchildren. If Joanne and I had known how much fun being a grandparent was years ago, we would\u2019ve had grandkids before children \u2014 is that possible with modern science?<\/p>\n
Do I miss dentistry? The answer to that is a hard \u201cyes and no.\u201d I don\u2019t miss the stress, which Brenda and Julie deftly managed for decades \u2014 I still don\u2019t know how they did it. Plenty of laughter, which is the best antidote for stress, certainly helped in that regard. However, I do miss the great family of patients who I got to know on a personal level during my 45-year journey. I reminisce about those relationships often and sincerely appreciate the memories you have given me.<\/p>\n
I want to give a shoutout to Dr. Thomason and his staff for the smooth transition. It makes me sleep better at night knowing that all of you are in competent, caring hands. Dentistry has been a challenging and rewarding profession for me, which is more than I could\u2019ve ever asked for. Thank you all for being such an integral part of it.<\/p>\n
See you on the golf course, ski slope, trout stream, in the gym, or hunting on the hills. Retirement\u2019s been a blast so far. If I could only figure out who\u2019s sending me burial insurance emails, I\u2019d be all set.<\/p>\n
P.S. Floss \u2018em if you got \u2018em!<\/p>\n