when to call the plumber and when I can fix it myself (most times)

we no longer need a bigger house, a faster car

there are no more corporate ladders to climb

I don’t have to worry about impressing self-serving bosses

and idiot co-workers

getting angry over political machinations is fruitless

not to get into a tizzy over unwanted marketing calls

I don’t become offended as easily as I once did

like when store clerks call me sir

I don’t have to laugh at jokes that aren’t funny

what I’m good at and not

when I’m tired I can nap

don’t always have to be right

music is the nectar of the gods

I can’t win every argument

I don’t have to pretend to like football and golf, salsa and beer

don’t have to paint the entire house over one weekend

fantasizing about sex is a dead-end road

memories become stronger and more important especially

when they involve my girl, my childhood sweetheart

I still feel guilty if I have a slice of pie or a bowl of ice cream

but it doesn’t stop me.