Hi Victoria!VictoriaF wrote:Dear Retirement Class of 2016,
I am leaving shortly to walk el Camino de Santiago. I will be away for two months, without a phone, computer or other communications. . . .
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I did the Napoleon! We crossed the Pyrenees on the 12th of April, the first ones this season. The local authorities have officially closed the Napoleon Route between November and the end of March, but even in early April the Pilgrims' Office at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port was advising against it. The snow was covering the trail and there were gale force winds on the top.
However, I was very fortunate. On the night of the 11th, I stayed at Orisson, an albergue on the French side of the Pyrenees. That day, while I was walking from SJPP to Orisson, the owner of Orisson Jean-Jaques and a few of his friends went to the most difficult parts of the Napoleon Route and created a narrow trail. On the 12th Jean-Jaques guided us through the tricky parts. The weather was sunny with perfect visibility of the mountain terrain, but the wind was bad. Really bad. But when the day was over I was very happy and proud of myself.
Sounds like you had a wonderful trip hiking el Camino (does one hike or walk the Camino?). But quite frankly, this does not sound safe. The route was officially closed due to snow on the trail and gale force winds? the most difficult parts of the trail in mountain terrain were narrow and tricky? and the wind was really bad?? Perhaps next year a relaxing cruise
While you were gone, I retired.
The surprise to me was how difficult it was to retire after 35 years in my profession. Although I worked with a wonderful office and colleagues, I was always exhausted, my job was years of unremitting stress, often away from my family, and I really was burned-out. How could retiring be difficult, full of agony and angst?
Sometimes we become our work, our life is our work, we worked so hard to attain that profession - and retiring means we are getting older, we are leaving one life and beginning another, life is moving on and change is upon us. I was afraid of the change, of me and all I learned in my profession "blowing in the wind."
I am now 2 months retired. It feels wonderful. What a relief. A life of good work and a retirement well deserved is how I see it. Please record me in the good book for July 1, 2016