Retirement Boring??? I Don't Think So/

A few months ago I saw a former colleague at a café. I asked him how he liked retirement. “I am so bored,” he said. “There’s nothing to do.”

Today, I decided to take a day off. I have been busy trying to sell a number of articles, am editing two other writers’ books, and working on my own new novel.

On an almost spring day at the bus stop, I once again talked to the Bolivian man who has lived here for 50 years. He shuffles using a cane, but his clothes are finely tailored and he bears a dignity. We have had many discussions as we both catch the same bus frequently.

I met two ex-co-workers for lunch, a Canadian and another American. When they discussed office politics, I could see little had changed, except the location of an office or two. I do not miss it. As usual we talked about world politics. The Canadian has a theory you can tell a lot about people by their official documents. For example, The Declaration of Independence talks about “Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.” However the Canadian government’s Constitution mentions its goals as peace and good government. Perhaps that is why we are at war, our capitalism is out of control, the Canadians are at peace and have health insurance, the individual vs. the collective. The American and I share the same dismay that our country as we knew it, is being systematically destroyed.

Because it was so beautiful I decided to walk the couple of miles to the American Library which is located in the American church. The friendly hellos were accompanied by dismay that the plug for the tea kettle was not working. The library was cold because the American Church that houses the library ran out of fuel. Compared to the Boston or Brookline Libraries, the collection is miniscule, microscopic, but they did have Paul Krugman’s new book. Since I read between two and five books a week, I am grateful for the library and the friendliness with or without heat.

I walked by the jet d’eau, across the pont Mont Blanc to the Confederation Centre to see Neverland. Geneva shows most anglo films in V.O., original version. I prefer this. Chinese, Spanish, etc. in V.O. lets me read the subtitles, making it easier to follow. The subtitles are in German and French, which always allows me a chance to pick up vocabulary. I now can say I am sorry as “je suis desolée” or “je suis navre,” but I don’t know the weight of the sorrow.

In New England the saying is “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.” It works for Geneva. When I came out, it was raining, by the time I got on my bus the rain had turned to snow. Driving down the lake road, not only had the Alps disappeared, the whole lake was hidden behind a grey curtain.

Tomorrow, I will go back to work, editing the mystery for Martin and writing the letters from the American soldier I killed off in my new novel. I am anything but bored.