Red Letter Day

When I saw I’d marked this historic day as “Year 11” on my organizer, I thought I’d made a mistake, miscalculated how long it’s been since I retired because it just doesn’t feel that long.

After checking, double checking, triple checking the timeframe, I did indeed gain my freedom this day 11 years ago.

Time flies when you’re not having to deal with racism, crazy bosses and abuse of authority in a job.

As to what I’ve been doing for the last eleven years, what I’ve accomplished, except for surviving family drama — of one kind or another during those years, surviving a pandemic (to date) and keeping active by participating in 5Ks (70 events thus far) and working out with a trainer for the last two years, I don’t really know that I accomplished anything meaningful or that I was even expected to accomplish anything other than continue to exist, keep going.

Friends have urged me to travel, but I don’t enjoy travelling — unless there’s a purpose, such as a Meditation Retreat, which I attended one every year until the pandemic brought an end to those, with no restart in sight. 

Travelling, seeing the world, dealing with planes, trains, boats, spending nights in strange hotels, just does not appeal to me, and I can’t understand those that do enjoy doing so.

At any rate, thanks to family drama, there have been some downs in the last eleven years (and it ain't over yet), but I pulled through, have managed to enjoy these retirement years, had fun and haven’t been bored, not even in lockdown.

Returning from this morning’s workout, I detoured to pick up mail, opened the security gate to the Mail Center and there, inside the enclosed area was the fast walking Covid recovered resident … without a mask.

Needless to say, I backed the heck out, then reached into my bag, retrieved the extra masks I’d been carrying around for just such a situation — running into her maskless.

"Do you need a mask? I have these extras that I’ve been carrying around", said I.

"Oh no, I have plenty of masks", said she.

The little voice in my head angrily said, “Well why the hell don’t you wear them!?” but, since I didn’t repeat it out loud, she didn’t hear that retort.

Then she looks at my mask and says, "Oh! You have a bling one. I wouldn’t mind having a bling mask".

"I don’t have any extra blings, just these" and I once again hold out a mask for her to take.

"Give those to someone who doesn’t have a mask. I have plenty, but thanks though".

If I thought she’d wear one, when out and about on the property, I’d order a bling mask for her; but if she’d not wearing any of the masks she says she now has, she probably won't wear the bling either ... except on special occasions.

Whatdoyathink? Should I invest in a bling for her and hope for the best — that she’ll mask up? If I go to the trouble and she STILL doesn't mask up, it will just make me feel stupid and angry.