This quarter spanned my last six weeks of work and my first six weeks of retirement. Leaving my career, colleagues, and clients behind felt a bit like ripping my heart out—even though I knew it was the right decision. A final, beautiful business trip to L.A. and an extraordinary Zoom retirement party organized by a colleague were highlights I’ll never forget.

The first few weeks of retirement felt like a very long weekend—clearing my to-do list, finally giving my garden the attention it deserves, and reconnecting with old friends.

Experiences:

Got a room on top of the world in downtown LA; enjoyed early summer blooms, orchids and stunning lights in the Desert Botanical Gardens; listened to Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony from the front row of the balcony at the Walt Disney Center; learned how one of the premier violin soloists in the world overcame stage fright; explored the incomparable Huntington Gardens in Pasadena; explored L.A.’s Chinatown and Biltmore, and the Last Bookstore—a magic place where all three books I picked up were exactly what I needed; saw larger than life sculptures and a giant pool of pennies at the Blanton in Austin; cheered a friend who killed it dancing at Phoenix’s Boycott bar; ventured out to catch the last blooms in a sunflower field on a Maricopa farm and in a lavender field in the red-dirt desert; listened to a blues band while a rainstorm transformed Gruene Hall from muggy to crisp-cool – an unforgettable experience with a great friend in one of my favorite places.

Food:

Ate a grilled banana muffin at Nick’s Cafe in the shadows of the Dodgers’ stadium; the most tender salmon of my life at La Boulangerie in L.A.’s tallest building; the best omelet of my life in Maricopa, Arizona (the “mobster” at Roots Eatery); an extraordinarily flavorful beet dish at Suerte in Austin; a perfect delicious chocolate-banana truffle in New Braunfels; a coffee-caramel ice cream cone at the Red Barn Creamery in Show Low.

Gardening and Harvesting:

Planted sunflowers, cactus, agave, okra, and basil. Harvested peppers (lots!), basil, nasturtium (so delicious), oregano, lettuce, parsley, and lemongrass; used a huge sack of lemons from a friend’s tree to make homemade lemoncello, lemon cupcakes and lemon bread.

Learning:

Befriended ChatGPT; learned WordPress, and how to do Zoom, email and calendars without my work account; discovered the gathering place for a flock of peach-faced love birds; learned to roast garlic and make homemade ricotta.

Fitness:

Worked out at the fanciest hotel gym and my beloved local Anytime Fitness; ran beside wild sunflowers in a Texas meadow and Phoenix’s Murphy Bridle trail; hiked to see the sun rise on my beloved Shaw Butte; danced with good energy in Dr. Snake’s class.

Celebrations:

Celebrated leaving the law with: salmon tips at Flint, toasted ravioli at Anzio’s, Thai food in downtown Phoenix, an unforgettable Zoom call, and a karaoke party.

Transitions:

Sold, gave away, and cleared out many things that I am no longer using—tangible or otherwise.