December 2022

The year 2022 turned into a series of unexpected learning experiences for me. Making it to retirement in 2020, I found these lessons all the more unexpected and not altogether welcome. But there they were, and like an impatient child, I had to listen to the voice saying “Deal with it!” much more than I liked. The year started with my wife, Julie, enduring a two-month hospitalization following what was supposed to be a simple high-tech surgery that came with complications. I learned rather quickly to appreciate company and little things, like being at home, away from distant hospitals, and not taking for granted a lot of things that come in a normal daily routine. I’m pleased to report Julie has mostly recovered and continues striving to achieve the “normal” level of comfort we haphazardly enjoyed before all of this.