“So long,
farewell,
auf Wiedersehen, goodby”
So sang the “The Sound of Music”
Von Trapp family so very long ago but the lyric also holds true for
Maynard’s Milieu.
Today’s the final installment,
number three hundred in a row, a run that began back in August of 2003.
Of course there are a couple of
minute differences between the farewell appearance of this every
Wednesday Sentinel piece and the Von Trapp good-bye. Their final
performance in Austria led to an escape through the mountains, away from
Nazi domination and into the hearts of the world thanks to Julie Andrews
plus Rodgers and Hammerstein.
For the Milieu, the scenario is
a wee bit different. It was just suggested, “Whenever you finish
whatever it is your doing on the computer, the dishwasher needs
unloading.”
Since Amy Hamilton’s most
generous article on the end of my columning last Sunday, folks ask “Why
stop?” Please know everything and everyone has a life cycle. Three
hundred columns at approximately 600 words each equals 180,000 words
inflicted on Sentinel readers.
As Amy explained, it’s my intent
to turn 70 this fall in the saddle. Hopefully, I’ll pedal from Canada
to the Gulf. Another series of columns on Maynard riding a bicycle
seemed to have much in common with chewing the same food three or four
times.
Plus Jan and I hope to spend
some of next winter in New Zealand and Australia. Week after week of
words detailing a “Down Under Geezer Walkabout” promises to be less than
scintillating.
But the over-riding rational for
ending these weekly treacle-fests is that it seems “time”. Time to do
something else. Like what? Beats me, but over half the fun is in the
discovery. Last weekend I saw a youngster in our neighborhood
attempting to learn to ride a unicycle. How cool would it be to master
a one-wheeled bike?
Monday found me lucking into a
hole in one at Tiara Rado. I explained to “you know who” maybe my
golfing skills had advanced to the point I should consider the Senior
Tour. She disagreed, expressing the thought that occasionally winning a
few quid from the geezers making up my foursome might be a preliminary
step before advancing to a larger stage.
Who knows what the future
holds? All I’m convinced of is, it’s going to be a kick.
The over-riding decision to end
the Mileau comes down to, it’s “time”. The result of this weekly
effort, published every Wednesday, plus hearing from those who agree, or
find fault, with each week’s effort was one of life’s thrills. I will
miss the whole experience. However, had I signed off last year, I would
have missed it even more than I do today. By waiting another year one
might find the most pleasant of hobbies turning into a chore.
So what can only be termed, a “a
really fun run”, comes to an end. Exactly the way it should. Because
the perfect ending consists of making an exit when the time is right.
Today’s the day, the time is
“right”
