I really had this picture of retirement being different – much different. I had imagined a year spent in preparation. I imagined some tearful last goodbyes and last trips through my litany of stories and lessons. I had imagined a student concocted good-bye in one of my more advanced classes. I imagined that “retirement luncheon” many of which I had attended for other teachers moving on. I had imagined a few weeks of slowly dragging home my possessions from my office to tuck in some unused corner of my closet. But with COVID such was not to be. Not even a handshake was possible – – let alone taking out of few of my peers for a lunch with adult beverages – – one they would likely pick up the check for . . . A ZOOM goodbye was the best I could muster.