Reflection # 54 A Life Waiting
The Gap Year: Reflection # 54 A Life Waiting
“The important thing is not to think much but to love much; and so do that which best stirs you to love.” ― Teresa of Avila
E.M. Forster wrote, “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”
We can live thankful for each life stage that brought us to this point. For the memories that give us great joy. For those who helped us get this far. The accomplishments we met along the way. These experiences cry out to be recognized and celebrated. They live in us forever.
Retirement is not an exclusive club. It admits everyone even people just like me. What I get out of membership is up to me; to get I also have to give. So I shed old behaviors, beliefs, and old tapes. It’s a new beginning. A time to forgive myself and my past mistakes. To forgive others for their transgressions. To ditch any anxiety carried from my former work life. For some, it means leaving behind the bitterness of failed marriages and relationships.
Retirement gives us the chance to redefine ourselves, who we are, and who we want to become. This is the gift of retirement. We can drop old baggage, old conceptions at the threshold and redefine who we are and who we want to be. It’s our do-over. Let slights, and wrong-headed comments slide off. You don’t need to respond to factual inaccuracies of perceived insults. Let them go. I am letting go… I should have begun this earlier. I want to experience freedom, illumination, and grace now amid life.
I consider all I’ve outlived. I am durable, adaptable, and resilient. Just being here is a triumph. My old age is a precious gift. My brain still works. I feel lighter. I åm freeing myself of self-doubt, irrational desires, useless complexes and other deadly sins that are not worth the trouble. I’m finding that humility helps. So does a sense of humor.
Now it’s your turn. Take time to reflect and, if in a group, share as you feel able.
I let go of the life I planned and:
a) live thankful for each life stage that brought me to this point.
b) shed old behaviors, beliefs, and old tapes.
c) redefine myself, who I am, and who I want to become.
d) hold onto my humility and sense of humor.