American writer Anne Lamott has said, “almost anything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes.”

After working for almost 25 years at a job I absolutely loved among people who have become my family, I have reluctantly decided to unplug for a while.

For a, first-born, type A personality like me, that is an extremely difficult thing to do. But unlike Webster who defines retirement as withdrawal … withdrawal into privacy and seclusion … that is the last thing I plan to do with whatever time I have left on this earth.

My personal definition of retirement is freedom … freedom from responsibilities. Frankly, I never thought I would live so long, and knowing that I have been gifted with good physical and mental health in my elder years, I plan to take advantage of that freedom and to … “make hay while the sun shines,” … as my dear mother would say.

The question that always seems to be asked when someone retires is, “what’s next?” For now, I plan to just unplug for a while, and to take the advice of scripture to, “be still, and to speak less and listen much.”

Where I go from here, only God knows and I await whatever comes with baited breath.