Retirement update

Its not that I can't fill up the hours:

I'm reading.

I'm facilitating outreach projects for the parish and the Diocese.

I chair the Missions committee.

I Co-chair the Stewardship Campaign.

I joined the Rec Center and am working out x3/wk.

I read.

I'm working on projects around the house.

I've reclaimed all of the yard I care to tame.

I've met friends for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, Happy Hour and tapas.

I meet friends for movies.

I've traveled to contiguous states to visit family and friends.

I swim.

I walk.

I write.

I've caught up on the all the popular media I care to.

My blood pressure rarely gets raised.

I don't obsess about the state of the country - or the world.

Retirement is nice;

it's as if I've found a 'Mute" button and have set it as my default.

And that's the problem.

I miss living with passion.

I miss having a job that takes all of who I am. 

I miss feeling consumed by what I'm doing.

I miss feeling passionate about how I spend my days.

I don't want a job or new career that depletes me;

I don't want to go back to that.

I don't want to place myself last.

But living a muted, nice life isn't who I am.

It's not what I want.

I have NEVER worked 'just for pay'.
I won't start now.

Even on the days I hated, I loved my job.

I knew I was making a difference

I'm still looking for work that has meaning
and that completes me.

Other than that,
things are fine.

Too bad that's a huge piece that's still missing!