I am at a crossroads: the intersection of Aging and Productivity. One road leads uphill, the other down. After seven plus decades of life, what does God expect of me? What can I expect of myself?
I love productivity—projects. Nothing makes me happier than to have articles to write, a new retreat theme to work on. But my productivity has decreased. It’s hard to find writing assignments that appeal to me. If I write, I want to write something inspirational, something that will encourage others. But what shall I write about and who will want to read it?
The aspects of aging now take so much of my time: exercise sessions, doctor’s appointments, cooking meals. Everything takes longer. There is little time left to “produce” anything. How do I find balance? What is realistic, at my age, at this stage?
Although I don’t climb stairs as fast as I used to, I want to keep my mind nimble. The professional aspects of my life enrich me and provide that mental stimulation I seek, so I don’t want to give up writing or speaking. To that end I also watch DVD’s of college courses on writing, speaking, nutrition, the mind. Right now I’m watching one on communications. I love www.TheGreatCourses.com.
Maybe it’s because I was a business education teacher, but I like to have something to show for my efforts at the end of the day—pages typed, chores checked off, things accomplished. I don’t like puttering around my house. Right now I need to put away pictures that my husband took down to paint a hallway. Ugh. I hate the thought of packing them up.
So what brings satisfaction at this stage of life? Maybe instead of becoming frustrated with aging and my lack of productivity, I need to reestablish a workable schedule. I think the most satisfying life for me would be to set the alarm for 7 a.m., have devotions, eat breakfast and work in my office before going to exercise sessions. After lunch I could write, actually put words on paper, for two hours, then do the laundry, cook supper, etc. That would make me happy. I’ll try to stick to that schedule this month.
What intersection are you facing? May we encourage each other as we drive along on this road called life.
