Opus 2025-123: Living the Dream

It occurred to me this morning that both my wife and I are living out our dream as we are in the age of retirement.  The dreams go totally opposite ways.  That causes some conflict.  That is a mild statement compared to reality.  But we’re working it out.

I am rejoicing in retirement.  I am an introvert.  I enjoy my own company for the most part.  I can enjoy the company of others but it is draining on me.  I will confess that sometimes the drain is worth it.  I think of one day recently where after getting up without an alarm and spending a good time in worship and going for a walk, I then join a zoom call with a bunch of like-minded old geezers.  It didn’t end there.  After that I had a friend call and we spent several hours arguing about his plan of the end times.  That evening I went out to dinner with my son.  It was a glorious day of interaction.  It was a totally exhausting experience.  I’m glad I did it.  I’m glad it doesn’t happen every day.

So I am enjoying retirement.  I have lots of time to sit out on the front porch and enjoy God‘s creation.  I have time to study.  I have time to write.  I have time to read.  I have time to take naps.  And God is provided enough resources for me to do that without worrying about where my next meal will come from or can I pay the electricity bill.  Life is good

My wife on the other hand is an extrovert.  She’s not happy unless she’s out changing the world.  For her that means being in charge of things and helping people in need.  So she’s out rushing from crisis to crisis, complaining about all the demands on her time, struggling with her physical issues, and to be honest, enjoying every minute of it.  She is doing what she always wanted, but I don’t know if she even sees it.  But after a lifetime invested in raising her children, and raising her mother, she is now free to try and raise the rest of the world.  She gets to worry about where her next meal is coming from.  She gets to worry about the electricity bill.  She’s been doing that for years to the point where we realized that every time she told us we wouldn’t make it to the end of the month, we were going to starve, it was just her way of budgeting.  For her life is good.

Isn’t it fascinating how we are all different and how different things make us happy.  It’s also interesting.  How seldom we realize how suited we are for the life we’re living in the environment that we have established.  We made decisions.  We set priorities.  And now we get to live in them.

homo unius libri