Retirement is what you do between doctor’s appointments at my stage of life, or so they say. It is a dead bore to spend so much time traveling to and from distant doctors’ offices and then the obligatory cheery, “Hello, how are you today?” from the nurse. I have taken to answering with one word, “Old.” That stops them in their tracks for a minute until they process the word and realize it says everything in three letters. Some respond, “Oh, you are not old.” Have they lost their wits? If 88 is not old, what is? As no doubt you have guessed, I am not a fan of polite small talk.