Double Digit Dance

Double Digit Dance

I promised myself that I wouldn't write a blog about this subject until a bit later down the road, but have realized something that makes broaching the topic a little more appropriate now. It's kind of a matter of timing and of days.

Let me explain. I won't keep ya but a couple minutes.

Let's start approaching this subject a bit circuitously by saying this: there's a site out on the web that has lots and lots to do about cruising. You know, getting on one of those big boats and going somewhere generally exotic. Cruising. And on this particular website there is a gigantic forum where people can talk to other people about cruising in its various aspects – cruise lines, ports, getting to the port, new cruisers, cruise photography, special interests, home ports and other sub-topics. Trust me when I say there is a LOT of information out there. Sometime before my wife and I had our first cruise I happened upon this website and began doing my due diligence by devouring all my head could contain on cruising. While doing this I ran across a term which I had to research a bit to understand. Some of the forum posters would talk about doing their “single-digit-dance”. When I read further I realized that they were talking about being less than 10 days away from sailing. They were so happy their vacation was about to begin that they were dancing!

I thought it was kind of a cute way to say “our cruise is just around the corner.” Single-digit-dance!

Some others, having booked a long way in advance, were also getting excited when they got to the time where they could do the “Double-Digit-Dance.” Those cruisers had just dropped below 100 days before sailing. About three months and a week, give or take, and it made them happy also.

And so that brings us to my particular situation.

Today marks 100 days before I retire. Three months and a week, give or take.

Tomorrow I start my Double-Digit-Dance!

I didn't really want to write anything about my retirement until the day was a bit closer, but when I saw my countdown clock at work today and it displayed “100”, the numbers just pulled me in. It's actually quite mesmerizing. 99 days to go. Like the middle of March when you're in school and waiting for summer break. Or waiting for a loved one to return from an overseas military assignment. Or being that loved one waiting for the flight taking you back home to “the world.” And only having 99 days to go!

Or, to bring it back to where we started a few paragraphs ago, three months and a week until you sail.

I've been there. I've been there three times where I was counting the days before going on a cruise. I've done the Double-Digit-Dance then.

But I've never did “the dance” for retirement.

One obviously only does this one time. Usually, I guess. There are those who retire a few times, but for the vast majority of us there is only the one time.

99 days. Wow!

But wait a minute. I always thought it was OLD people who retired. I remember seeing folks retire from previous jobs I had held and they were... well, dammit, they were old! But me? I guess maybe those ol' fogies who retired back in the day weren't really all that old. Not really.

Were they?

I guess my generation's definition of what's old is anyone who's about 20 years older than us. Sounds about right.

So here I sit at my work-site, plugging away at my job and occasionally glancing at the calendar. Only have to turn 3 more pages and I'm done! I think. Only have to get in the car and drive to work about 62 more times, then all my driving from that day forward will be for ME!

How do I feel about all this? What are my thoughts as I approach this significant milestone in my life? What am I going to do afterward?

Tell ya what. Why don't we leave that for another blog, shall we?

Just suffice it to say, it's Double-Digit-Dance time for lil' ol' me and I, for one, am countin' the days! And it's easy. There's only TWO digits!