Day 4 - Onward to God's waiting room

After failing to achieve retirement enlightenment with my grandparents yesterday, I did what I knew must be done. I got up around 10, skipped Starbucks, and got my family on a plane. Destination - Retirement, USA (Florida). Also, affectionately called "God's Waiting Room". I knew I was headed to the right place by the older gentleman in front of me. He had a skycap pushing him in his wheel chair and rolling his golf clubs. It made me think, but in the end I was happy for him. That is, until he turned on me. More about that in a second.

Today, I thought that I should start to document this month in pictures also. So I tried to get the old guy to pose for a picture with me. He was not happy. He thought I was mocking him. Quite perceptive. I will start with the pictures tomorrow. They will be somewhat lower quality as I will be using the iPhone. It is the only piece of technology that belongs to me. I had to turn everything else back in to Alberto.

So anyway, I get on the plane today. I had a couple of thoughts. First, I wasn't worried about Maddie crying. I figured if the people didn't like hearing her, they could just turn off their hearing aids. Second, I wondered how many people were taking their last flight. I know it is morbid, but mortality is a reality.

This brought me to my next thought. For anyone that wants only to read my sarcastic, cynical views on life, please skip this single sappy paragraph. I was thinking about what someone once asked me. What do people want around them right before they die? While I had a couple answers that were as equally funny as they were inappropriate, he said, "the people that meant the most to them in life." Anyway, I realized that I have been really blessed to know some really great, fun people in life. Both in work and in my personal life, there have really been some great people. I am going to try to take notice of these people on a more regular basis and ensure that they know how I feel.

Enough of that, so I am sitting on the plane, Maddie is screaming. The woman next to me is peacefully reading with her hearing aid turned off (No Joke), and the guy in front of me turns around and says, "Do you think you could get her to be quiet?" I had to laugh. In fact, I laughed about 5 seconds longer than normal just to get my point across. What amazed me was that he was serious. I never did answer him as I think he understood how stupid he sounded after the words left his mouth. Again, being on such a good streak, as we got off the plane, I asked him to pose with me for a picture. He mumbled something under his breath that he was scared to say out loud and walked away. What a shame. I could have had 2 great candids from this trip already. Starting tomorrow, I am going to just start taking pictures and asking for forgiveness.

Well, me and the fam are in Clearwater Beach over-looking the ocean. We have spent almost $1,000 recreating the home in Illinois to ensure that Maddie wants for nothing. Of course at her age she likes a plastic bag more than anything else. Yes, I said a plastic bag. Call me a bad parent. I try to stay close while she plays with them. But I figure, if she realizes she can't breathe, she will probably stop playing with it. At least I hope so.

I am planning on getting up really early tomorrow and going to the coffee shop here on the island. I know that I will be surrounded by 70-something retirees that might allow me to glean some eternal wisdom from them. I still seek answers to some questions, but for now it is sleep. While I have no job to wake to, I have an unfulfilled mission that I must attend to. Until tomorrow...