Brutality

The seasonal influx of Northerners is brutal here to those who live in SW FL. The traffic and daily bottlenecks that some elderly drivers are causing every day going to and from work grow more ridiculous every year. I mean, some of these drivers shouldn’t be on the road. One even hit a school bus the other day!

I won’t say how long it took me to get home that day, but by the time I got home, I was ready to pack up and move away.

“Season” also fills up the hospitals and doctor’s offices, including ours. Most of the patients are very, very nice, but some seem to feel that since they’re only here for a few months, they should automatically command priority over those who live here permanently.

Not so, señor.

And just because you might have a pickleball game scheduled for 3:00, doesn’t mean we can squeeze you in on an already overbooked schedule, and does not mean the doctors and medical staff should stay late to accommodate your “pickleball elbow” after hours.

But we often do, because we are committed to giving consistent, quality care, despite the toll it takes on us physically and emotionally. We care about everyone equally, and honestly, most of the snowbirds are very considerate. But the few bad apples, the ones who snarl traffic, and make unreasonable demands, tend to sour the season for the locals.

The upside is that Naples is a prestigious place to live, and has a generally well- funded police department which makes it nice and relatively safe (except for the occasional school bus), although I’m not a big fan of the uppity-ness, nor am I in love with the high cost of living here. I do, however, like my generous paycheck, bonuses, and insurance benefits, as well as other perks, like the considerate snowbirds who bring us Christmas treats.

And as the holidays grow closer, I’m not a fan of the warmer weather. I have a friend in Denver who showed me a pic yesterday of his patio. I told him I wished I was in Denver, because I’d be lying on the couch with a cozy blankie in front of a warm fireplace.

Instead, I had to be content taking a long, hot bath after my nearly hour long drive home (off-season takes 20 minutes) in 85 degree weather. That bath did help calm the angry muscle spasm gnawing on my lower back.

Sorry if I seem to be complaining. I’m really not—just venting a little. There are many, many things I’m thankful for, which I’ll talk about tomorrow or Thursday.

But at the same time, I am entertaining the thought of moving somewhere quieter much more often. I still love the idea of moving to Vermont, but just am not sure about the cold. Maybe I can retire sooner than later, and become a snowbird myself. But not to Naples. Nope. I don’t want to become the problem.

So, today’s schedule is brutal, and it will be a long day. But, the five day weekend will be glorious!