As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I’m soon to retire: at the end of the month, the end of the year, the day I turn 67. That will be my last day in the office. To say I’m looking forward to retirement would be the understatement of the last decade.

But, during this last month or two, I find myself very unsettled. What will my retirement look like? I’ll write more books, study more genealogy, write those family histories I’ve been gathering, write the Bible studies I’ve developed and taught, and work on the clutter accumulated during 45 years of adulthood, almost 43 years of marriage. There’s no doubt I’ll keep busy. Plus, my company has asked me to enter into a contract with them for limited services, averaging not more than 10 hours per week. So I’ll keep my hand in civil engineering.

My unsettledness has come from not knowing what to do in my last two months as a fulltime employee. And, my problem hasn’t been at work, where I’ve stayed busy. The problem has been at home. A year ago, in the evenings, after supper and a little conversation with Lynda, I would head to The Dungeon, and would work on one of my avocational pursuits for a couple of hours, coming upstairs to leave a little time to read before going to bed.

The last two months, however, I decided to forego my time in The Dungeon and just sit upstairs with Lynda, watching television, talking, and perhaps doing a few things. Actually, now that I think about it, this has been going on for at least four months. My reasoning: It won’t be long before I’ll have the daytime hours to do these things. Let them go for a while. Whether retirement really gives me all the time I need for all the things I’d like to do is yet to be seen

So, I was only able to do one editing pass through my novel, taking it from first draft to second draft. I’ve done some genealogy work upstairs, including filing or discarding loose papers. To multitask while watching TV, I’ve been doing crossword puzzles, clipped years ago from newspapers (when we still took the paper) by Lynda for my use. They are coming in handy now. I’ve done quite a few, and have many more to do as well.

This will all change. Today I’m working my 5th-to-last day. I work all this week, take next week off as a combo of holidays and vacation, then work Monday Dec 31. at 5:00 p.m. I will walk out in triumph, thinking back on a career well-spent, and thinking ahead to a retirement full of creative and fulfilling pursuits.