Last updated June 5 2025
Chapter 65
The More Relaxed Years
“Just buy it” she would say. This after years of following the various sales whether it be clothing or groceries. If we want grapes, let’s get the damn grapes. A certain cut of meat? Just buy it. Granted sometimes she would ask me to not say how much I paid but great progress was made in later years on this front :) She knew more than anyone how precious life was and that if we can, we should live life fully.
I also took great pains in assuring her of our financial situation a few years prior to retirement and even afterwards and this helped ease her mind and relax more.
A big part of Marlene’s identity was her job and so it took some time for the words semi-retired to be uttered but I do remember this small shift contributing as well to this new relaxed approach.
This viewpoint began prior to the disease but in all honesty, it was in that time period where things seemed stable that we both decided to not sweat the small stuff anymore.
I do believe we could have traveled more but our mistake was to wait a bit longer for a time that is never right. One cannot be in a Saving mode forever otherwise what is the point.
I do believe strongly that she did for a while at least find a certain level of peace and I am grateful she was able to reach that point. I would however have preferred the two rocking chairs on the deck type of peace where all is great while holding hand as we had dreamed of doing so many years ago.