Happy New Year.

Okay, it’s a couple of days past that time but I’m finally finding time to sit at the keyboard and do a little thinking. Over the years, I have discovered that writing is my best thinking time.  I block out most distractions and as long as chores and assignments don’t interrupt, I am closer to peace than at any other time.

It’s been about six months since I retired as Chief of Staff for my friend Doug. Some old health things cropped back up that required my undivided attention. I deeply regretted having to retire but at the tender young age of 69 I used the justification that 51 years of working and serving was probably enough. For the last six months, there have been a flurry of doctor visits and some surgery which have all seemed to help slow the progression of my issues. I am incredibly grateful for the medical professionals that have been helping along the way. We are blessed to live in a time when medicine has advanced so far.

But one thing that has been nagging me is that suddenly, I find myself struggling to understand what my purpose is.

Since I was 17, it seemed like I had a purpose. In 1972, I was going to put on a bluejacket’s uniform and sail the seven seas. Ther were actually a multitude of purposes at that time. Be free of my parents’ rule. Discover foreign lands. Overcome my fear of being alone while doing all of that. Serving the country when I was that age may have been a task but at that age it was not the purpose. That would come much later in life.

As I grew up (slower than some) my purpose evolved. I met Debbie and being a better man became a purpose, Advancement in the military became a purpose. Even though it was awkwardly late in arriving, protecting my country became a real purpose. All of that came to a fast and furious end the day I retired at the age of forty. Or did it? The patriot part of me has actually gotten much stronger since then. And I’m still working on that better man piece.

After a few stumbles along the way as a freshly minted civilian, I found my next purpose. I became a combination of coach, counselor, teacher, leader, consultant, speaker and change agent. I had a remarkable second career in manufacturing providing lean manufacturing and six sigma project and program management. That trip took us all over the country and large parts of Europe.  There were some great successes and some patent failures. I learned a lot more about people than I had ever imagined, and it was fun. Most of the time. But for many reasons, I retired again at 63. Except for occasional opportunities to teach, I was ready for a long retirement.

The last gig was a Chief of Staff for a County Commissioner was a blast. I got to use all of my skills to help manage a multi-million-dollar governmental agency and all of its departments. Then health said, you are done.

Retirement 3.0

As we were doing devotions this morning, the subject was about someone who had just done the same thing. As she retired (before she was ready) she wondered what her purpose would be. After a lifetime of having a useful purpose, she was staring out the window of life wonder what would replace that?

What do you do with a lifetime of stored knowledge and experience and a body that no longer supports the pace and pressure that came along with building that inventory?

If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with me.

Be assured that I am not done yet. I have things that I am still contributing with my church but just at a much slower pace. I was able to preach last week and felt a lot of joy in the preparation as well as the preaching part. I am still active with MOAA and will more than likely be the President of the General Greene Chapter in Greensburg PA this coming year. This morning I am working on a Gathering of the Saints reunion for former sailors and officers of my favorite submarine USS San Francisco. This afternoon I am sending my dues for membership in the Charleston USSVI base. Might be a little tough to make it to the meetings but I am looking forward to having a home base again.

And I’m still working on being a better husband and man. That will be a forever pursuit.

No matter what age you are, you still have a purpose. Just because your car’s speedometer shows that you can go 120 miles per hour, truthfully, how often do you actually do that? The same car can still be quite functional driving the speed limit. At my age, I find that I barely exceed that limit for any reason. But as long as I have gas in the tank, I’m going to keep going.

Happy New Year. I hope you find your purpose and pursue it with the energy and strength that makes the journey worthwhile.

Mister Mac