I retired for this?

There is no doubt that Joanne is a worker bee. Always able to accomplish more in less time than any mortal should be able she finally decided it was time to retire. Who can fault her for that as she pushes up against her 73rd birthday. And, for three weeks, it was glorious. Her time was her own, no reports to file, time cards to fill out, office hours to keep...perhaps she wondered, "Why have I waited so long?" She'd long felt that she was neglecting the house, cupboards to clean, things to organize and all the myriad things that slide when work claims priority. Now, finally, she'd have the leisure to tackle the tasks that had long been postponed. Exciting opportunities awaited, a trip with friends to Rome and above all a grandchild expected in April.
At long last her peripatetic husband, that would be me, returned from Asia. Not wanting to miss any chance to visit she delayed leaving for Ash Wednesday service until the last moment. Hurrying up the steps into church she held unto the railing until the top step and when she reached for the door she tripped and fell. A visit to the orthopedic doctor confirmed that her arm was broken near her shoulder, a compression fracture that needs immobilizing for six weeks. As if back fusion in July and knee replacement in May were not enough, now three weeks into her retirement she can't use her left arm for six weeks. The Rome trip is cancelled and her deepest fear, "will I be strong enough to hold my grandchild?"
"She gave up the use of her left arm for Lent" is a shallow joke that ignores the reality of this desert, wilderness experience.