The Pandemic for Me
The best of times and the worst of times
A time for everything
To pray and reflect
To read and relax
To walk and be silent
To listen and hear
To wonder at nature
To plant a new garden
To chat with my neighbors
To text with my friends
To treasure my family
To learn how to Zoom
To yearn for embraces
To mourn for the losses
To search for the reasons
To question and wonder
To grieve the destruction
To fear for the future
But never give up
the hope to recover
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.
awriterrambles 