Sitting alone in our trailer, I feel darkness descending on me like a cold shiver that starts in my spine. My body begins to tingle, or maybe it’s more like a buzz, and I slump further under the blanket covering my legs. It’s a beautiful fall day in Washington State, so why do I feel like I’m sinking into the chilly gray water of Puget Sound?
When we retired a little over two years ago, I wasn’t aware there’d be days like this. All I saw before me was space and freedom. But in everything, there is light and darkness, yin and yang, bliss and sadness. I chide myself now for being idealistically ignorant about retired life.