Animals & Other Things I Have Loved

CHAPTER 2: RETIREMENT #1 Growing up the idea of retiring early was a dream. I can't even remember now what I was dreaming of retiring from. I suppose it was the almost delirious delight that I felt before summer vacation. By the beginning of August I was ready for school to start again, but towards the end of May that anticipation of the first day of holiday with seemingly endless days of being in charge of most of what I wanted to do was delicious. I set an early goal in life to retire by the time I was thirty In June of 1982 I was twenty nine. I had recently finished the most ethically challenging teaching experience of my career as a sixth grade classroom teacher at Mary Star of the Sea in Freeport, Bahamas. The school's preferred method of discipline was corporal punishment. This was something I did not personally approve of or had I ever worked in a school where it was acceptable. I fought sending students to the office where they would "be beaten" or resorti...

CHAPTER ONE: A MEMOIR For a New Year's resolution in 2019 I vowed to write two hundred words a day. By June 1st I hadn’t written word one. I have a certain reverence for New Year’s resolutions. I think they have saved me pain and helped my influence on the world. When I was younger (20s and 30s), I vowed to be completely sober one week every month. I would start the first week of each month and most months I could squeeze in a  whole week without alcohol by the end of months with thirty one days. For several years since retirement I have vowed to work on my core every day. I'm pretty sure that has helped me cut down on back pain. A couple years ago I resolved to fertilize the plants I care about every month. They all seem much happier since I started this; even if, I don't get to them all every month. I think part of my writer's block was because I was not sure what to write. Then I thought, write what you know ... a memoir. Or something that approximates what I t...