When the music stops playing for the dance you have known most of your life as an adult, what do you do next? You've worked all your life establishing and climbing up the career ladder. You paid the price and made the sacrifices. You are finally at the place of your career wearing "The Title," what ever it is called in your specialized career field. Everyone in your office, your command, and your command circle know you by name and facial recognition. You have the power and the authority. Nothing happens without your signature of approval on the dotted line. You are the boss. You are... the man or woman. Nevertheless, the one thing about this career high is... it comes to an end. You never thought about it coming to an end when you first started out. Nor do you think about it in the middle process of making it to the top. You've put your whole life and heart in your career. You are one of the lucky ones however, sometimes some people can do everything right and still don't get the results they were working for or expecting. But in your case, you made it. And you are enjoying the view. It is nice. It is very nice. You have done well and you've brought others along with you up the ladder of success. Life is good.
Then one day before you knew it, your time expired. The music stopped playing for you. The musicians in the orchestra lay down their instruments, put them in their musical cases, and they all went home. The music stopped and the director stopped directing. There you are left alone in an empty room. You take a look on the wall at the clock. It's time to go home. The time on the clock reads, "Retirement is here." How did this happen so soon, you asked yourself? I was really enjoying the view. However, you were so engrossed in the music of your career you didn't realized years has passed. To you, it seems like ten years had passed, but in reality, it's been twenty or thirty years. Now you are wondering if you came through with the most important things in life, as you are approaching the end of your career. Do I have my spouse with me at the end of my career? Do my children know me? Did I do my best supporting my children's school activities? Had I taken the time to develop the relationships I had been entrusted to nurture and keep? Where are my true friends? Had I served God, as He would have me? Will I make it in the civilian world? So many questions you never thought about then, because you never had the time to do, now they demand your time, attention and answers. When did the music stop?
A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to attend the retirement of a friend of my husband and I. He and his family retired from the United States Air Force after twenty-four years of service. It was a great time to see old friends and make new ones. It was a beautiful military retirement service. As I looked back on the day's events, I couldn't help reflect on a number of questions they had for my husband and I at different times of the visit. One of the questions I will not forget is what is it like to live a retired life after working in one profession for so long? They looked scared and doubtful. However, they knew it was the right decision for them and their family. Regardless of the negative feelings, they held to their faith and simply reached out into the unknown trusting God.
The counsel we gave our friends was this: you are in another transition in life and not a retirement of life. You simply have ended one chapter of your lives to move on to the next chapter. Your previous chapters have prepared you for the one you are now entering. Civilian life is no different than military life, once you have passed through the transitional phase. You do make new friends. You do get over the "PCS Fever" (Permanent Change Of Station) to move every two to three years. You do find a place to call home. You do find your place in the civilian workforce. We encouraged them by telling them that we are fully acclimated to civilian life, after thirty years of service in the military. Life goes on and you too will go on without the structure and pomp and circumstance of the military way of life. Also we shared with them that they will rediscover and redefined themselves in new ways. Civilian life is a good life and one filled with endless opportunities. The Lord God would give them new plans for their lives as they seek His face. The last word of wisdom was this," What you didn't get to do right the first time through, now will be a second chance to get it right. Life is too short and relationships are precious. If you don't find life, life will find you." Keep moving forward with your new life, this is what you do when the music stops playing.
Comments