I ran into a fellow I’ve known for almost the entire time we’ve lived in Amarillo, Texas … in other words, more than 22 years.

We chatted this afternoon about this and that. “Are you liking retirement?” he asked. Why, yes! Of course!

Our brief visit turned immediately to our immediate plans, which include packing up the house we’ve owned for more than 21 of those years, fixing it up a bit and putting it on the market to sell.

My friend looked somewhat astonished. “Where you going?” I told him we plan to move to the Dallas area to live nearer to our 4-year-old granddaughter, Emma, who — I told him — is “growing up way too quickly. Time is getting away from us.”

My friend gets it.

I told him that at my age — 67 and counting — I’m ready for “one more major life’s challenge. And this is it!”

The best news for me is that I am married to someone who knows how to manage this kind of challenge. I’m more or less along for the ride. She adapts well to big changes in life. And so do I, actually, as I believe I’ve have mentioned to you before.

Our move from Oregon to Texas in 1984 constituted a major challenge for yours truly as I sought to advance my career in journalism. It worked out well for both of us. I’ll admit to trepidation when it began but I realized soon afterward that I am significantly more adaptable than I ever gave myself credit for being.

So it is with this latest challenge. I am not nervous about it. I am anxious for it to occur.

We are moving at an ever-accelerating pace toward that end.

I suppose you could say that challenges in life make it all worth living. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how this all turns out. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.