In my retirement, I’ve spoken often of having the comfortable employ as Wine Steward in the Symons Wine Cellar and for Chandler’s – A Restaurant, but being back in the fold, now, seems different, obviously. If not for the love of wine, I could be a fulltime writer – granted, the challenge of keeping up with the journalism and publishing world would cause an early death – but at this moment in time, I have the chance to do both. And there’s a quiet anxiety about that circumstance, surprisingly. What if one takes over the other? What happens when the book tours and presentations start again? What if recreating a wine cellar of five-hundred different wines wears on me? Such the conundrum when some people in this world can’t figure out where the rent check is coming from or how next months groceries will be purchased. I do not take my dilemma for granted; to make it clear, I know I’m one of the luckiest people on this earth. My quandary is what will be the norm with people coming into the cellar or the restaurant in the time of COVID? My suspicion is that they’ll want familiar; they’ll want comfort, like roast beef and a cab on Sunday; a nice Sancerre and halibut on Friday. I can get any wine for any emotion, taste, or whim, but is it necessary to experiment with “new” right now or do I wait? As a writer, I shall return to the studio next week and finish the line edits to “The Penny” and continue work on the latest trilogy; oh, and I can’t forget I’m still massaging the kayak journals from 2017. With words, I have carte blanche. Editors and publishers may believe otherwise, but I really do. Christine is wavering back and forth on a retirement date within the next three years, and what’s really life-giving to me as I await her decision is that I can continue to do what I do anywhere and at anytime. I can breathe life into the future on this Thursday, May 7th, because of the love of wine. Cheers!