Less than...

 What is less than? Less than what? It is less than what was.

Less than a year. Less than 12 months. Less than 52 weeks, Less than 365 days.

For 286 weeks I knew that my last day to work to reach retirement would be January 9th, 2026. It seemed so distant. I had been planning on retiring much sooner. Life has it's own plans, I had to adjust. I had to decide on whether I should stay in a very unhealthy marriage so that I could hopefully retire early or walk away from the pain and stress but know that I would have to work until just after my 67th birthday. The decision was easy once I knew if I were to stay in the marriage I probably wouldn't survive to my 67th birthday. I wouldn't be able to live the life I dreamed of living. I would never know happiness.

So the countdown to January 9th, 2026 began. For Christmas that year a friend gave me a jar of 59 red mountain Laurel Seeds and 1 black one. 60 months to retirement. Take one seed out on the first of each month saving the black seed for January 2026. 

Mentally it has been a challenge. I have felt myself grow older. I have seen myself grow older. I have grown wiser. I have found new dreams to pursue. I have grown stronger both mentally and physically. But still the days loom ahead until that final day will come. I just kept thinking if I can make it to  being less than a year. " I am retiring in LESS than a year!"  It sounds so promising. It sounds doable. It sounds like it will be soon. Today I reached that goal. today is January 10, 2025. I officially have less than a year until I retire. 

The Laurel Seed jar with the last remaining seeds.

The depository ( my desk drawer) for all the seeds I have removed over the past four years. Once I remove the last one from the jar I will place these all back in it and pass it on to a co-worker that will be beginning his retirement countdown.