Something happened on my way to having extra time on my hands when I retired. It feels like everything happened. Everything but having extra time, that is. At least until quite recently. Between giving more time to things I was already doing and picking up activities I hadn’t been doing, I feel like I’m at least as busy as I was, if not a little more so.

The main activity I’m spending more time on is definitely my church’s youth group. I’ve been the interim youth director for going on two years now, so people kind of forget about the interim part. Which is fine with me. I truly love this ministry. I love the kids and I love the adults I work with too. Not getting ready for school has allowed me to spend more time on activities and lessons and getting our meeting space into better shape. I’ve also started something I’ve been dreaming and praying about, a YouTube channel.

Two new things have started filling my days as well, and a third is just around the corner. I was invited to be on the Board of Directors for our local chapter of Habitat For Humanity, and I gladly accepted. Habitat is a ministry that’s near to my heart and I’m proud to be a part of it. Second, after talking about it for years, I finally auditioned for a show at the Actors Guild of Parkersburg, and, by some miracle, I got a part. The show is entitled, See How They Run, but it has nothing to do with the recent movie about an Agatha Christie play. I play a bishop whose niece is the American wife of an Anglican vicar. It’s a classic British farce, so it’s full of miscommunication, mistaken identity, and physical comedy. I’m truly excited to be back onstage. The thing that’s coming soon is something called Kairos, which is a ministry to prisoners. The actual event is just over one weekend, but the preparation starts in mid-August and carries on once a week through October.

So, the moral of the story is, if you want to retire and relax in your flower garden, don’t tell anyone. But the real moral is that the best way to retire is not to retire from something but to retire to something. Yes, I am super busy now, maybe busier than ever, but it’s with things I choose. I never wake up in the morning anymore wishing I didn’t need to go to work. I look forward to each day. And every day is just a little bit different than the day before. And I’m grateful for it.