So, What's the Plan?

                                “I know the plans I have for you”  God

My plans for my retirement had to be tweaked.

I envisioned that by now I would have re-invented myself. My plan was that, with all the new spare time retirement would bring, I would most certainly evolve and be ‘re-purposed’ into a full-time writer. My plans were that by now I would be telling you about my new book coming out, or sharing my latest article, or directing you to a clever blog website; one where I had created a much more attractive, sophisticated technological site. Those were my plans anyway.
 But so far, I have spent a lot of my time making cookies with kids, changing pooh-pooh diapers and singing silly songs.

How was it that I was able to work in a full time job and still find time to write at least 10 hours a week? And yet now that I am a lady of leisure (as my husband calls it) and living the good life (as one of my sisters call it) I am struggling to squeeze in a hour a day for my writing….. that wasn’t my plan.

Should I make more lists, more goals, or do I need another small step so I can accomplish my plan? Or, I wonder…does God have other plans for me? 

Several of my friends, who are recently retired, are also finding that their days are not their own either, and their plans are not what they intended. Instead they have been swept up with babysitting their precious grandchildren, doing volunteer work for their church and community, or taking care of loved ones. 

Although not in my intended plans, I was gifted with many unexpected hours with my children and grandchildren who live strung out all over the country. I was blessed with extra time for hugging, building blocks, playing puzzles and watching ‘Frozen’. And my unplanned days were filled to overflowing with the sweet sounds of giggling princesses dressed in tutus.

Oh, I suspect I will find a routine for my new life; one that allows for my passion of writing. But for now, maybe I would be wise to just settle into the plans that God has for me, and bask daily in his tender mercies.