Today is my mother’s last day of work, ever. She retires at probably 3:30pm. This is a letter I sent her last night so she would get it first thing when she got to work:
Today is your last day!
It must be a relief.
I remember you working as a Teacher’s Aid and going to school without any support from our father. I remember eating a lot of spaghetti. I remember you graduating and getting your first new Computer Programmer job and how much better you felt about yourself. I remember you getting your current job and people relying more and more on you there. I remember the difference in you once you got a job using your brain in a way that you enjoyed and for which you knew you were uniquely adept.
You need to know that I appreciate everything you did for us: all the sacrifices you made and hard work you put in to make our family successful.
Now is your time to relax and focus on purely selfish persuits. Find things that you never had enough time to do, things you always wanted to try, foolish things. Waste entire days. Although, I am guessing that gradually, what once seemed like a “wasted” day will become a productive movie marathon or sunbathing and book reading day. At least I hope.
I hope you have decades of wasted days. You have earned them tenfold.
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