When Bill and I were working we both had a pocketful of keys: the house doors, the cars, the Club security bars for the cars, our work building doors, various office keys, locker keys, etc. Bill had to repair more than one pair of pants that didn’t hold up to all the extra weight. Last night we sold our one remaining car and now we each have just one single house key on our ring. It’s really a burden lifted, figuratively and literally.

In France, our situation should be exactly the same: one key each for the house and nothing more; no cars, no offices, no burdens. The reaction we get from people when we explain what we’re doing remains the same; you’re doing what? You won’t have a car? You’re moving there permanently? And then sometimes there’s a follow up question about how they could do the same.

I’m reminded in a sense of brother-in-law Mike who was a commercial airline pilot who lived by the clock. He was under daily pressure to leave the gate on time, arrive at the new gate on time, be aware at all times of what time it is. The day he retired he took off his watch and hasn’t regretted it for a minute, so to speak. Bill and I both look forward to having just that single key on our ring.