The Busyness of Retirement

I never foresaw myself really retiring. For one thing, having spent a good part of my adult life teaching in Christian schools and writing and editing for Christian organizations, I never thought I could afford to retire. Neither did I have any interest in golfing or playing pickleball, which the stereotypical retiree is supposed to do.

Beside those economic and entertainment considerations, however, I always wanted to stay busy. Not that I don't know how to relax and do nothing for short periods. I relish such times, maybe too much. But I always wanted to have a purpose in life, something constructive and productive to do, goals for which I could strive. I've seen too many people who retired without such things to shoot for, to keep themselves constructively busy. Such people don't seem to survive very long in a retirement that gives them nothing to do.

I often told people, when they asked when I would retire, that I never intended to do so. As long as I have an active mind, can read and research, and can type, I'll always be working. If that provides a little income, all the better. And I've tried to live up to that desire.

Nonetheless, I never realized at the time just how busy such a "retired" life can be!

Although I haven't "clocked in" at a regular job for many years now, I've been as busy as (even busier than) I was when I did. I often wonder how I did it then, and I'm amazed when I take time to think about how I do it now. No wonder I'm tired!

Of course, there's my main focus, researching and writing, but there are also myriad other activities, responsibilities, opportunities, and obligations.

• Teaching Sunday school. At first, this was only occasional substituting for other teachers, but it soon became a regular duty thrust upon me by other teachers' health problems. And I enjoy it immensely. It keeps me growing spiritually. (Never too old to learn because we never know it all!) It also keeps me accountable.

• Domestic duties are always on the to-do list. Mowing and trimming the lawn. Vacuuming the house. Emptying the dishwasher. Taking out the trash. Seeing to the maintenance of the house and vehicles. Homeownership is an endless list of things to be done.

• Serving as a docent at a local history museum. This began as only a once-a-month, three-hour stint, but it soon led to my being selected to serve on the board of the historical society, which involved even more meetings. (I eventually had to give up that opportunity to focus on some of my more important priorities, reminding fellow board members that, unlike they, I wasn't yet retired.) Then, when the society inherited a historic property that they would restore and open for public tours, I became a docent there.

  

  
  

• Grandparenting also became a priority. Having eight grands (soon to be nine?), all of them living in different states than us, has its own time-consuming demands. We don't enjoy the long drives to see them, but we look forward to and enjoy getting there or to having them visit us. (As I've aged, I've come to realize why God gives children to young couples. Grand kids can wear out an old person quickly!)

  

  
  

• Speaking to various groups about the subjects covered in my books.

  
  

  

  
  

• Then there are requests from our church's Christian school to present teacher in-service training sessions at the first of the year. I also speak to the students in their chapel programs once a month during the school year. And, more recently, to substitute teach classes for the secondary history teacher while she accompanies the juniors and seniors on their annual missions trip.

• Oh, I mustn't forget the numerous visits to various kinds of medical appointments. The insurance company demands an annual wellness check (we used to call them "physicals"). That's become a joke. Then there are the colonoscopies. They are definitely no joke. Ultrasounds. Chiropractors. Dentists. The way aging progresses, I guess these visits will only increase over time. Reducing that number is my incentive to remain healthy and active! My laser therapist says, "Motion is lotion!" (Dick Van Dyke recommends that one keep moving--and he's 99!)

I'm discovering that all of these activities (especially the doctor appointments) are a way to meet all sorts of interesting people. For example, there was my most recent new friend, Eleanor, a grown-up little girl whom I met while visiting the chiropractor.

She was sitting at the end of the row of chairs where we sat upon entering the office. As I glanced around the office, I noticed in my peripheral vision that she was watching me. I looked at her, and she smiled a big, bright smile and waved coyly. I couldn't resist smiling back.

She wore a pretty white-and-pink-patterned dress (it might have been her Easter dress, or maybe that's how she dressed whenever she went out anywhere). She wore glasses and was as cute as a button. Her dark eyes smiled as brightly as her mouth.

She spoke to me as she slid across the two intervening chairs that separated us. "May I sit beside you?"

"Sure," I replied. My wife leaned forward and spoke to her. "Hi. What's your name?"

Thus the conversation began. We learned that she was Eleanor. My wife asked if she knew a famous woman who shared her name, and she immediately answered, "Yes, Eleanor Roosevelt." She was in second grade. My wife had taught second grade. She was homeschooled. We had homeschooled our own daughters. We weren't surprised that she was a homeschooler because she conversed with us just like an adult would, not like the stereotypical second grader.

Eleanor was a happy, intelligent, and friendly little girl. The doctor called us back all too quickly, and our conversation ended. I hope Eleanor does well in life. She's making a good start. She's just one of many people we meet in retirement, but a most enjoyable and memorable one.

So, who has time, or even a desire, to be "retired?!" I'm not retired--just tired! But I'd rather be busy and tired than bored--or dead!