COUNTDOWN!

Today, I have a dental appointment, and I'll be leaving at noon. I parked on the street, because it's cheaper than paying $6 for the paved lot across the street. It was a very cold walk to the office, and I still can't feel my knees a half hour later!

After today is done, I have only 3 days left in the month to work. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Everyone around here knows about it, but I've asked for things to remain quiet about it all, and so far, only one or two people have come around to talk with me about it. I suppose that they're surprised that I'm not jumping up and down about it--all things considered.

It's exciting and not exciting at the same time. It just feels like it's another day. Perhaps I'll feel differently on Friday. I just hope I don't spend the entire day crying about it.

Things I won't miss....

The work. It pains me to say, but I never dreamed I would spend my life pushing paper around, and never thought that I would spend the last few working days doing nothing but making copies and scans of copies. So I won't miss the work.

The parking downtown and walking to work in all types of weather. I am so happy to not have to make that trek anymore. No more rain, snow, sleet or heat. No more worry about slip, fall, break a hip. Nope. And no more paying for the parking--one of the biggest expenses of working downtown.

The drive in--oh yes. No more slippery roads in the winter. No more having to get up so early in the morning, unable to see the road in front of you. God has been good to me, and kept the deer out of my way all these years. The only one time I hit a deer was when it actually hit me.

No more alarm going off at 5:30am, nor snooze alarm set to wake me again at 6am to get off my sleepy, warm bed and get going. I'll probably get up early ANYWAY, but the fact that I don't HAVE TO is the biggest blessing of all, I think.

So what will I do with my days? Do you know that I haven't decided? Yes, I know that I will knit, sew, crochet and craft for the rest of my life, as long as God permits me to do so, and I will start spending time with friends and family again. I know that my local knitting group will be really happy to see me come back, and my Tuesday night knitting group still wants me to come spend time with them. Maybe I'll see if my sister would like to go with me sometime.

So you see, I do have some things planned, and of course, some options still left open to me, and as things move forward, perhaps a trip, perhaps a move away from this cold--if things go well and I'm able to save some money here and there, perhaps hubby will take me to Scotland, as I would love to go--as well as Jerusalem, Owahu and a dozen other places closer to home. The sky is wide open, and I hope it stays that way for a while.

I look forward to this new, exciting part of my life, and I intend to run to it with open arms and when I get to the end of the line, I'll run and jump and slide into home plate with the exclamation "WOW! What a ride!"