If someone had told me I’d be this busy in retirement, I
may have continued working for a few more years. My retired brother-in-law says that the most
frustrating two words he hears are, “He’s retired.” These words are not so daunting by
themselves, but by what usually follows:
“He’s retired, so sure, he can . . .,” and then, just fill in the
blank. He can mail your package, pick up
your suit at the cleaners, walk your dog, paint your living room, he can do anything
you need him to do, because, of course, this retired person has nothing but
time on his hands.
I had great plans for retirement. I planned to practice my guitar until I got really
good. I planned to learn to play the
banjo. I planned to play some golf and spend
some time fishing. I planned to hike the
area’s parks and bicycle on the various bike trails around Pittsburgh. And mostly, I planned to write. Writing would be my job. It was my passion. Writing is why I decided to retire
early. I would sit down at my desk each
morning and start writing. Maybe I’d
begin with an article or letter to the editor to express my opinion on a
controversial subject. Perhaps I could
sway public opinion to my way of thinking on that subject. After that, I’d write some creative piece of
fiction – a short story or maybe work on that Great American Novel that I felt
I had in me somewhere.
But to quote John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you when
you’re busy making other plans.” And
life presented me with a number of volunteer opportunities. I signed up for another term on the Board of
a struggling, nonprofit theatre company and was appointed Chair of a committee
that has kept me very busy. I likewise
signed up for another three-year term on a Board that oversees property in our
Diocese, and I was promptly appointed President of that Board – an “honor” that
I’ve found requires much more time than I anticipated. I also continued to volunteer at my church in
various capacities including as a teacher, lay minister, newsletter editor and
sponsor of our acolyte program. Additionally, I agreed to participate in a
literacy program at a local school where I read with a 2nd or 3rd
grader. I also volunteer at the school
where my wife is a teacher, and, most importantly, I help her with correcting
tests and occasionally other tasks in her classroom. It is largely because of her encouragement
and support that I was able to retire early, so the little I do to help her is
small repayment.
Anyway, sometimes I consider all the volunteer work I do
a distraction from my plans to write. I
am three years into retirement, and I haven’t yet published anything for which
I’ve gotten paid. But is money the
ultimate barometer of success? I’ve read
several books on writing, and the authors invariably answer “no” to that
question. When I take the time to think
about it, I realize that I am writing, if not doing some of the other fun
things I planned to do in retirement. I
write 10 feature articles a year for my church’s newsletter. I started this blog, and this is my 38th
post in less than three years. I’ve put together a draft history of my family
vacations that is now over 225 pages long. And I have written various articles and short
stories that have either been published or might be published if I made the
effort to submit them to a newspaper, magazine or publishing house.
Each week in one of the prayers at my church we ask God
to “send us out to do the work you have given us to do.” Doing God’s work is a part of the life that
has happened to me in the past several years while I was busy making other plans. So yes, I’m retired. Let me know if I can do something for you. It may even lead to a great story.
