It’s Tuesday. What does that mean to you? For me it’s trash day. Tuesdays can mean a lot of things to different people. Part of my day I can control but chances are before the day is over I will have some surprises……and so will you.

Tuesday’s in my working years meant I would be at a certain town with a certain crew. I knew where I was going and why. I have several yearbooks that have chronicled my time in that employment. It is easy to see the change in those pictures which go from that first yearbook to the last where I was placed in the Retired section.

It has been thirteen years since then and now Tuesday’s can mean anything. By the time we leave employment most of us have a stack of things we want to do. However the days are still only 24-hrs long and a lot of those “to do” lists have to take a back-seat. I have been blessed with good health for which I am grateful. However family illnesses kept me in doctor’s offices and hospital rooms beyond counting. I’m not complaining. I would far rather be the caretaker than change places any day and it is my choice to be there.

It is just that all those ideas about retirement need a little dose of reality. In my case I would like to live in a house that looks like the cover of Southern Living. The reality is this…….if I keep house like that I have no time for hobbies, flower gardening, reading…..and anything else I might want to do.

The truth is this. Do not wait another day to try something you’ve been dreaming of for retirement. You may not make retirement. You may not want to do some of the things you thought about when you find out how much time and money it will take. Another factor is patience. Will you have less or more?? Much of what I do takes patience and there are many things to stay clear of if you want things done in a hurry.

I watched elder family members accept the fact a lot of their dreams were…..just dreams. Sometimes thinking about something can be enough. The important thing to me was how they accepted age and health issues with grace. Part of our day is necessary but when we allow time for God to speak to us it is amazing.

Essentially Esther