For almost 2 weeks, sheltering in place meant staying home, suspending all activities, cancelling planned trips, erasing all appointments in my Moleskine. We were told to not come over to help with grandkids while their schools are shuttered to prevent the possibility of being infected by them. Quickly, my active life was changed. Yours too.
When I retired 5 years ago, I actually never retired, but only from paid work. I extended my active work life by accepting volunteer positions, made commitments to new projects, and populated my calendar with meetings, teleconferencing, and trips to faraway lands. When people say that in retirement, they are busier, I can vouch for that.
Today with COVID-19, it is like I was forced to retire. I have been fortunate to never have been forced to resign from a position or forced to retire. But today, I am experiencing a new and unfamiliar state of mind of figuring out what to do with each day.
I can say that I am discovering a rhythm in my day. Have you discerned yours? If I need to shelter in place much longer, I might rather like this “forced retirement” life after all. As the philosopher in Ecclesiastes say, “There is a season…a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together” (3:5a). It’s time of forced retirement.
Don Ng, 3.23.2020