“Clouds so swift/rain won’t lift.”

by chuckofish

Well, I had an annoying weekend where nothing I touched seemed to go right. But I did get this tablecloth at an estate along with a few books so I guess shrug emoji?

Whether or not it ends up in the hypothetical antique mall booth my mother and I want to start now that she’s retired remains to be seen. Speaking of her retirement, today is the day! After 19 or 20 years (depending on which celebratory vase you look at), she’s finally walking out the doors (metaphorically, these days) and won’t have to return.

I remember when my mother got her job–I was a senior in high school–which I guess makes me REAL OLD NOW. I used to come home and eat lunch with her but then she got the job and I don’t remember what I did for lunch after that. Probably worked on the yearbook or something equally reflective of my popularity. Anyway, over the years, I’ve enjoyed getting to know the students at OLLI via the stories I’d hear about them. One could write a tv show…but sadly Jerry Stiller died, so I don’t know who would star in it.

I am sure that the university will miss my mother’s steady hand at the helm of her program more than they realize now. Probably because she was so good at her job that they were barely aware of the program at all. That will change, no doubt. Likewise, we know the students will miss her because of those intangible skills that you can’t list on a resume: personality, understanding, ability to relate etc, etc, etc.

Anyway, a toast to my mother and this new chapter and a sayonara to her flyover university.

*Also, sorry I’ve had that Bob Dylan song in my head since yesterday’s post!