Published: October 08, 2009 03:11 pm      

Resting In green pastures

John Paul Carter, Democrat Columnist

When we moved to Weatherford and bought the perfect house on a beautiful wooded lot, I had lots of plans. That was over 14 years ago!

Today, I have a back porch that I hardly ever sit on, even though it’s one of the features I like best about the house. I also have a hammock that Carole gave me for my birthday five years ago that’s never been out of the box — even though there are two trees just the right distance to hang it from in the backyard. Besides that, I have a brand new router in my workshop that’s never touched a piece of wood. The list is longer, but you get the idea.

My excuse has been that I was still employed as a therapist. For the past 12 years I’ve driven to Fort Worth three afternoons a week to help people with their problems. I loved my work, and the money helped to pay the bills. But it took a good bit of time and energy that I’d intended for other things at home.

However, now I have no more excuses because I retired in August at the ripe old age of 71. I have big plans for the back porch, the hammock and the router. I’ve joined my wife on her morning walks and we’re planning for an excursion to the Grand Canyon, an Alaskan cruise, and frequent trips to see our grandchildren. Add in the church and, so far, I haven’t had a moment to spare.

It’s taken a month to reset my inner-clock and realize that I’m really free from my past obligations. One of the things I like best about retirement is, even though I’m still busy, I can set my own schedule. If I’m exhausted from working in the yard, I can finish it tomorrow. Besides being ready when Carole says it’s time to go, my only deadlines are writing my columns and teaching Sunday School.

On the other hand, it’s become evident I still need a certain amount of anxiety — even in retirement. Otherwise, I would have given up procrastination. Deadlines are still my muse.

But my most meaningful discovery about retirement is that it only means that I’ve ceased to be gainfully employed — that is, I’m no longer being paid a dollar amount for the work I do. (Thankfully, Social Security and a small annuity continue to pay me for my past work.) The job I had was only the form that my work took for a time and a means of making a living. Retirement doesn’t mean the absence of a vocation or the end of my work. Loving and helping are still my calling and the task of a lifetime.

Lord, it feels good to lie down in green pastures, beside the still waters of retirement. Grant that I might continue to do your work. Amen.

u

John Paul Carter’s “Notes from the Journey” appear in the Democrat’s Religion page on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. Carter, an ordained minister who attends Central Christian Church, may be contacted by writing him at 107 Bent Oak Road, Weatherford, 76086.