Even retirees need a vacation

OPINION
Cary News
Senior Moments
Terri Andersen
Just because someone retires from the workplace doesn’t mean life is a constant vacation. There's the housework, shopping for food, deciding what to cook for dinner, laundry, bills to be paid, the checkbook to balance, etc. Don't get me started on the lawn. Since I don't drive, I have to depend on Herb, my husband of  55 years, to take me to the stores, the post office, the bank, or wherever I need to go, and he's often not that anxious to leave his computer and take out the car. While I was starting to feel cooped up in the house, Herb felt perfectly content to stay at home with his dog Lucky. The kids got him the dog to get him out of the house a few times a day to walk the dog. But when I mention a vacation of any kind, he's not anxious to go any place. I needed a break. I wanted to see our grandchildren in Florida so I decided to go by myself. Herb did take me to the airport, and I was off. In Orlando airport I felt like a celebrity when I heard two familiar voices shouting “Grandma” as they came running to my side. Soon we caught up on everything. I saw the perfect marks the kids had on their report cards, played all kinds of games and even went to Disney World, where we dined under palm trees, watched fireworks, and did a lot of sight-seeing. While I was on vacation my daughter, her husband and their 13-year-old daughter did all the cooking and wouldn't even let me rinse out a dish. It was the vacation I longed for. I did think of Herb at times and wondered how he was doing, since as long as I'm in the house it's presumed that any cooking or cleaning is my responsibility. Even frozen waffles, toast, and cereal supposedly taste better if I put them in front of him at the table all prepared. A little while after I got back from Florida we got a phone call from old friends of ours we hadn't seen in 40 years. They wanted to know if we'd like to vacation with them, and this time Herb agreed to go. He found a kennel he felt would take special care of Lucky, and we went to Virginia Beach for a few days with our friends. We are thinking of getting together again soon. Did my time in Florida make Herb miss me, forcing a change of heart? - Maybe he just needed a vacation like I did. - After all, he had to fend for himself in the kitchen while I was gone.

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