Go out into the world...

I think the idea of structuring your freedom is so important as you begin your retirement that I want to challenge you to engage in an experiment as you plan for this first year of retirement. It will seem awkward and restrictive at first, but I bet you will thank me later. I want you to plan out your first several months of retirement.

Take a calendar and mark with a red star your first day of retirement. In that first week of retirement, what would you like to do as part of restoring your body to a state of well rested healthiness. If you want to engage in some physical activities, begin identifying the time each day that you will focus on that. If there is some cleaning out of your files, schedule which hours and what days of the week you will focus on that. If you would like to go to a movie during the day, take a day off to go fishing, visit a grandchild, etc., put that down on specific days of the calendar. I know that these plans will be interrupted by other events as you go along, but if they are on your calendar, you can both use them as a reason for not responding to some other request and you can consciously move them to another day if they get interrupted. In fact I would encourage you to do exactly that for the first several weeks. When the two hours you were going to clean files gets interrupted, find another day that it can be assigned before you give it up.

Does that feel too programed when you thought retirement was going to allow you freedom? OK, then plan a day in which you have absolutely nothing scheduled and wander around in completely unplanned freedom. Think of your “retirement calendar” not as you slave driver but as your “freedom protector.” Schedule as much unplanned times of freedom as you desire but mark that space on your calendar or believe me it will disappear.

As you fill in your calendar, recall that phrase that you put on your new calling card that defines your new state of being. After at least the first couple of months of retirement, begin to make sure that you have identified some time to focus on this new sense of calling. Even if you don’t know what activity that will require at this time, carve out time when you will dream, plan, and imagine how you might engage in that area of your calling. I would encourage you to at least think 6 months ahead and near the end of that time, make an appointment with yourself to evaluate whether this is working for you and you want to continue planning your freedom or not.

Freedom can easily be lost if it is not protected.

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.

As you begin thinking about retirement, it is important to think about your platform. That is, who are you? In retirement, you are still ordained but you are no longer Rev. Jones, pastor of Blessings church, or presbytery executive, etc. Trust me, it’s different to say I’m a retired pastor. That is not who you are. That is a description of what you have been. Think of it this way, if you were to make a new calling card, what would you like to put after your name that would help identify who you are. Play with this and try out some different possibilities. It will help you think through the promise of this next chapter of your life.

When I retired, I created my card that said,”Stephen McCutchan, theologian and author.” It was my understanding that I was still called by God and those were the two areas that I wanted to focus on. One of my goals was to publish some books that I had been thinking about. In my first three years I have been able to publish four books and continue to work on some theological reflections on the pastorate.

It is also ok to have some fun with that description. I remember seeing a bumper sticker that read, “Retired priest, no more Mr. nice guy.” That may describe less of what he hoped to become than the frustrations he felt in his profession. A better way to think of this is what are the one or two areas you would like to focus more energy and time. We will talk more about time tomorrow, but think about the shift of energy. Maybe your caption might be, “Reverend Jones, grandfather and vacation home decorator.”

For now, don’t think of a long term decision but only how you would like to spend the first year. I have a friend who just retired who tells everyone that he is on sabbatical for this first year. That alone helps him respond to the many requests that come to newly retired clergy to be on this board or serve in this agency.

Go ahead, how would you describe who you are in the first year?

Recently I have talked with several people who are anticipating retirement in the near future. It has caused me to reflect on my own experience three years ago. I have been thinking about some of the things you should do in the year before retirement.

There are some basics that you need to check out. You need to get an accurate fix on your Social Security income. That can now be calculated on their website. Don’t forget that if you spouse is at retirement age, you also can choose either to include your spouse’s social security or one-half of yours, which ever is more. Then you need to add to that your own retirement package from your denominational pension plan. The Presbyterians have a very good procedure for helping you think through that. I’m sure that other denominations also have helpful ways in thinking through this.

Next, you need someone to help you think through your medical plans. You will be bombarded by supplemental plans, drug plans, etc. Try to find someone who you trust and is knowledgeable to help you think this through. Remember the maxim, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. I personally think the Presbyterian medical plan is very good and has served me well, but each person has to make that decision.

If you don’t have a financial planner, you need to find someone to help you look at your other resources and draw up a plan. This is worth a little extra expense for their services. You may also be able to find various helpful tools on the net to help you think through these issues. The important thing is to use some resources and time now to plan ahead so that you don’t get caught in a bind. Our economic downturn has created some new challenges in this area and therefore it is all the more important that you do some planning ahead.

Included in that plan should be options for some enjoyment. What is it that you hope to do in retirement that perhaps you have not had sufficient time to engage in before but hopefully you can now include that in your planning. This may be a hobby, travel, research, entertainment, or some other activity. What money is going to be necessary to set aside for that.

Of course you need to think about your living arrangements. Do you want to (need to) move? What type of expenses is that going to include? Where do you want to live? Who needs to be involved in that decision? Is it just a decision between you and your spouse or do your children or parents need to be in on that conversation?

These are just some of the practical decisions. Tomorrow I want to reflect on some other, less tangible, but very important decisions.

A colleague of mine has recently written a piece for the internet service, The Immediate Word, about how we respond to a person with disabilities. She was working off the Blind Bartimaeus passage in Mark. In her writing she makes the following point. It is a mistake to believe that “it is the wish of every person who lives with a disability to be “cured.” I find that a very powerful reminder that we should not make quick assumptions based on our own perceptions and should take time to listen to others about what they want.

My colleague notes in the Barimaeus story that Jesus did exactly that by asking what Bartimaeus wanted from him. Not everyone who is physically blind wants to see. Some have developed other gifts that might be sacrificed if they suddenly were given physical sight. Even when we know better, we sometimes assume that one disability suggests others as well. I have a friend who was born without legs and with frozen elboes. It would be easy to consign her to the category of helpless. She is 18 and I recently asked her about her future plans. She told me that she wants to be a film maker. My guess is that she will see what she films from a unique perspective that will enrich the world.

I wonder how many congregations, when seeking a pastor, are open to seeking the gifts of a pastor who has some physical disabilities. Would they immediately be eliminated from consideration or would they be included in the interview with an eye to how their gifts might enhance the life of the congregation. The same could be said about a congregation. What are the disabilities of a congregation that might be recognized as gifts of another kind if they could be recognized, honored as the context of God’s ministry, and listened to with an ear to the Spirit?

It is a thought worth pondering. What are the gifts of God that we miss because we are imprisoned by our assumptions?