A Tribute to Life in Washington D.C.

Retired. No More Elections

I stepped away from WDC to close-out my career and deal with a few of life's curve balls, Cy Young was pitching. I announced my retirement during a routine bi-annual speech and presentation in front of other union leaders. Only a handful of people knew it was coming. The room was shocked; I was 59. Since my last WDC entry 32 months ago, I have retired and my wife and I moved out of Arlington, Virginia. This eliminated the drama and stress of Washington DC. No more recurring elections to sustain employment. No more commuting challenges on light rail. My wife and I are now the youngsters in an active senior community located near the base of Bull Run Mountain. Our community has a golf course, pickle ball courts and when we REALLY get old, Bocce Ball courts. This is where the super-seniors gather to discuss the ailment of the day.

My retirement was effective June 9, 2023. To kick things off, on Saturday, June 10th, I served as the wedding officiant and emcee of my niece's wedding; I was honored. It was a fantastic start to retirement. I do wonder if I was asked because I am the only one in the family that can handle public speaking effectively without shitting my pants. Or, was I selected because I, like the bride and groom champion similar disdain for organized religion, evangelicals and the ways religious fundamentalism. I am ordained through the Universal Life Church. It took 10 minutes. For $59 and a connection to the world wide web, you too can be cloaked as one of the cloth.

As a retirement gift to ourselves, my wife and I acquired a puppy, a labradoodle, Ruby. For those considering a new puppy. Get the fence first! I don't know what the hell we were thinking. The puppy will keep us young, we justified. My recent hiatus from WDC was also the result of some sad news. In January of 2023, my brother was diagnosed with glioblastoma, (brain cancer). He was 56 years old. He had surgery in February. We buried him 6 months later. The doctors gave him 12-18 months; he survived only eight months. An outsider might say these 8 months flew by, but I am sure that Roger experienced it differently. His final few months of life were agonizing. Roger's retirement was to be effective September 1, 2023. He died in hospice at 1220am, on August 31, 2023, one day before his retirement was to be effective. My advice, retire as son as you can afford it; there are no guarantees. Lastly, I am dealing with my own neurological challenges. My wife asked if I have a MRI punch card. Lately: MRI of the spine, MRI of the brain, with and without contrasts, spinal tap, bone marrow biopsy, low platelets, double vision, blurry vision... the list goes on and on. When reading test results, I see concerns of multiple autoimmune diseases. Most point towards multiple sclerosis, but I am told that this is a difficult diagnosis to nail down. More on this later. For now, live life, stay active and pay the insurance premiums.