Although this life is quite a change from life in California (the San Francisco Bay Area), it is also a welcomed change. With the passing of each day I feel the stress melting away from me. The stress of a thankless job in credit management, the stress of traffic, the stress of surviving in a wildly expensive area in which to live, the stress of too many people in too small of a place. A moment here for a reflective thought...I loved living in San Francisco for the last 35 years; yet, it is not the same place I moved to 35 years ago. The good that was part of that vibrant city life is now gone. It was and is time to move on. San Francisco is now nothing more than a fond memory of life lived well for many years...and not so well the last 10 years.
So, this morning I woke up to sun streaming through the windows of my wee house in the woods. As I poured my first cup of coffee I realized this is now my "new normal...the life of the retired."