Retirement is Just an Illusion
I once welcomed retirement with open arms, but apparently not with open eyes. I’d often heard people say that once they retired, they were busier than ever. I sort of snickered at that not believing that it was true. Just so my readers know my posts may be sketchy or even absent through the end of next month. I looked at my calendar, counting and I had to remove my socks to count my events and I was still two toes short. Between now and the end of next month I have twenty-two projects penciled in. Several are multiple day projects. I should replace my front entrance with a revolving door. Sometimes it may be a dentist appointment or picking up a grandchild after school. It may include driving to my son’s house to feed and water his family’s livestock or to help pass out veteran’s baskets. I volunteered to dedicate a morning to pass out food baskets to veterans of Westmoreland County. It’s something I enjoy doing, but it also tugs at my heartstrings. I watch as I see these older veterans struggle to walk the few steps to sign in. We hurriedly load their vehicles with the boxes of foodstuffs, but I’m not sure whether they will have problems unloading things at home.
My activities may include volunteering for the Chestnut Ridge Historical Society in Stahlstown, Pennsylvania or driving the church van to pick up teens for Wednesday evening prayer services. One appointment that is a reprieve is the monthly luncheon with fellow Connellsville Senior High School classmates. It’s a time of getting together, sharing stories, and laughing.
One event I am looking forward to attending is the biennial Minerd-Minard-Miner-Minor Reunion. Our last reunion was cancelled or should I say postponed because of the Corona Virus scare. I hope and pray that the government doesn’t attempt to control any other problems that comes up. President Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and here to help.’”
I was privileged to attend the last reunion before the forced shutdown of businesses and churches, forcing isolation, the mandates of mask wearing, and attempts to force everyone to be inoculated with an unproven vaccine that didn’t prevent the illness, but was given to “lessen” the effects of the disease while ignoring several other treatments.