The Final Chapter
I am really enjoying the latter phase of my life. Life has been good to me. Really.
For more than six years I have not drank any alcohol or smoked any tobacco. I was never a formal alcoholic, but like many Americans I certainly drank to excess. And I smoked far too much for a great many years. It is nice to no longer be afflicted with either of these curses.
I have leukemia and I don’t have Health Insurance because of the inherent greed and brutality of the American culture. But truthfully the doctors can’t do much of anything to help with this CLL anyway.
Money is fairly tight, but after many years of having more vastly money than brains I have realized that all those materialist toys just aren’t very important. My dog Inu is a great companion. He is loyal and does not constantly criticize me like my wives did. Three marriages and three divorces will finally teach even us slow learners some valuable lessons.
I no longer have the physical strength or stamina to enjoy camping, so my little solar powered teardrop trailer just awaits me in the backyard. Inu has a doggie door, so he can go outside to lay in the sun or to relieve himself anytime that he wants. Twice per day he and I enjoy taking little walks. We often go out in the nearby virgin desert or over to one of the many grassy city parks that are just a few blocks away. Inu does well on a leash, but when we are alone I always take the leash off him. He won’t run away or harass anyone.
I have a gun, and sometimes I do a little target practice out in the sand hills or over at the indoor shooting range. Several times per year within a mile of my house I find some prehistoric pottery shards from the ancient peoples who used to live on this land thousands of years ago. For the past 55 years one of my main hobbies has been photography, and now that I have the time to pursue it properly I am really enjoying it. I’ve got a big collection of fluorescent minerals which I still get great pleasure from. What beauty!
On weekends we go to flea markets at Socorro or Ascarate Lake. Usually we just walk around and check things out and maybe buy some fresh fruit. Sunday mornings at the Ascarate flea market we normally get some menudo. I eat most of it, but Inu will normally eat one or two pieces of the tripe just to please me.
During the week I read a fair amount. I am currently engrossed in a book about philosophy. I’m reading about the Greeks right now. I also enjoy watching the many movies that I missed during my lifetime while I was working 60 - 70 hours per week. I’ve got a large screen TV and a Dolby 5.1 DVD player, so it is better than going to the movies. No crowds, babies crying, or rude assholes coughing and talking on their cell phones during the movie.
It is nice being grey haired. Most of the time I am just a nice, polite, older gentleman. Occasionally I am very outspoken, and once in a while I am just another grumpy old geezer. No doubt about it.
I’ve had a good life. I was successful in my career and I got to travel all over the world. My son is now headed in the right direction. He is a senior at New Mexico’s top university specializing in geology and mining. His specialty is Environmental Remediation, like what does society do with the tons of toxic waste left over after the mining companies have removed most of the wealth from the ground, gone bankrupt, and disappeared.
Yes, life is good. I have enjoyed the last 60 years. Perhaps this has just been the first chapter, or maybe not. Who knows? Either way it has been a great trip.
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