At the Tampa Airport. I've been in Florida for 22 days so far and, not to be a whiner, it was lovely but too long.
I love being with the father of my children, Bruce and the father of me, Dad. We rented a beautiful condo near Dad's winter digs down in Florida.
The weather was unseasonably warm(poor us). It rained one day, which was goodness for the flowers.
I found out that I am not really cut out to live among the retired set yet.
It's sort of Disney for adults. Get up late, take a walk, play some golf, eat lunch, nap, go to dinner and then go to bed. Repeat next day. The white hairs are everywhere. The beige orthopedic shoes made me giggle. All the ads for hearing aids, cemetery plots, doctors and financial experts filled the newspapers.
We attended a live show of "You Can't Take It With You", a play by Rogers and Hart set in the 1930's. It was sold out. The busses from the assisted living were all lined up waiting after the show. Truth be told, it was quite entertaining. The flatulence jokes went over well with this group.
Lest I sound like a spoiled brat, I appreciated the peaceful mornings. I walked the beach and soaked in the serenity of the cawing gulls. It gave me a renewal I needed to write more, to serve the aging and to enjoy my grandchildren. It gave me a glance at what was ahead. A 3 1/2 hour stint at an urgent care facility for a sinus infection(mine) made me appreciate the ease I have in getting into my doctor up North. I sat there with my wonderful 90 yr old Dad, being taken care of by him again. It was a moment that wasn't lost by me. We have a great relationship that I treasure daily.
So, homeward bound! That's the best part of going away. Yes, I'll need my warm jammies and the heat cranked up. And tomorrow, I'll be back to reality, performing a wedding for a wonderful couple and probably whine about the cold.
