10 Years of Expanded Leisure

IT JUST DOESN'T SEEM POSSIBLE, but I am celebrating ten years of expanded leisure!  Following the end of spring semester in May 2001, and after wrapping-up 27 years of college teaching and 17 years as a recreation practitioner, I retired. It was at that very moment - at the conclusion of spring graduation ceremonies - that my leisure opportunities enlarged immensely. It was a magnificent feeling!

Don't get me wrong. I loved teaching; I loved the academic community; and I loved being around students and colleagues. Even the very last day in the classroom was exciting. I was still passionate about my field and the subject matter. But the time was just perfect to begin a new chapter of life, and to open new avenues of adventure, ministry, and joyful living. Although it was not fully recognizable then, the significant increase in free time made a huge and happy difference in my life. Retirement is wonderful! It was in the beginning, and it has continued to be. I have never regretted my decision - not even once.

Of course, leisure has always been a part of my life, including those 44 years in the work place. I always believed in - and practiced - the general principle of taking vacations and days off as they were provided where I was employed. Also, in the midst of busy schedules and the demands of the job, it was important for me to find time for rejuvenation and re-winding.

My philosophy has always been that every worker needs the refreshment that leisure can bring. Further, I believe that individuals who have fun-filled leisure experiences away from the job will become better employees on the job. Therefore, during my working years, it was vital for me to deliberately set aside time for leisure activities.

As a kid I loved to play. As a teen I was involved in sports, music, and various other types of recreation. Throughout all my adult years I have enjoyed numerous kinds of leisure activities. In retirement I have learned that the interests, abilities, and skills which were developed in earlier years are now paying off.

These past ten years have been marvelous. To me, the best part of retirement has been "freedom." By this I mean, the freedom to do [almost] anything I want to do whenever I want to do it! In all the years of my professional career, it was necessary for me to be very structured. Especially in the academic setting, clock-watching was a given! Classes needed to start - and stop - on time. And, my days were most often very much regimented. It is now easier to understand that old saying, "free as a bird!"

Retirement, of course, does not mean 100% pure leisure. Some duties remain just in order to exist in this world. Other responsibilities and obligations continue at home and in a shared marriage relationship. For example, I still take out the trash! However, the blessing of being retired has - at the very least - quadrupled my leisure hours from what they had been over the preceding 44 years.

So, I'm celebrating my ten years of expanded leisure! Plus, I am so very grateful to God for life, health, strength, energy, spirit; and, for family and friends. Regarding retirement: I can highly recommend it, with no reservations whatsoever!