Almost any one who has retired and has the health to be active will tell you that one of the great myths of retirement is the myth of time. Most pastors do spend 50 to 70 hours a week and every weekend working. As they near retirement, they begin to dream of being released from the demands of their profession and how having those 50-70 hours each week to do as they choose. Especially in that last year they are so busy finishing up that that enticing freedom just sits out there waiting to be claimed. THAT IS A MYTH. If you are not intentional about how you will use your time in that first year, I can guarantee you that it will use you.
I know that because your time has been so shaped by the demands of the profession, the siren song is to have the freedom to not think about what you will do ahead of time. It sounds so sweet to just take each day at a time and not be worried about what will come next. There may have been a number of house projects that have been put off that you think you can now attend to. Perhaps there are those unread books on your bookshelf that you dream of just sitting on your back porch and reading. My dream was to sit on my back porch and read a novel from start to finish. I actually did that on my first day of retirement. Unfortunately I have not done that since.
The thought of having to schedule such activities is the very antithesis of what you hope retirement is about. I’m sorry to burst your bubble but precisely because you are no longer in a structured environment, you need to be even more intentional about how you will use your time. Especially in that first year, until you grow more accustomed to your new state, it is important that you be intentional about your activities. Believe me, there will be many others who will be only too glad to plan your time for you. The problem is that many of those activities and requests are good things that you really are interested in. And very quickly you will discover that all that free time you dreamed of doesn’t exist. It isn’t that you have to plan important things. It may be that you will plan to read a trashy novel or take three naps a week, or sit and write poetry, but you do need to be intentional.
