Have spent the last several evenings sitting on the front porch of our unfinished home. We look out on a small canyon, which in the evenings is visited by occasional mule deer and wild turkey. It’s much quieter than town, but one can hear train whistles in the distance (always a comforting sound to me) and there’s the ubiquitous chorus of song birds coming from a grove of elms to our south.

They’ve been relaxing times that I sorely needed—not because getting ready to retire, getting a house ready to sell and getting us ready to move have been so exhausting. It’s almost the opposite. The busyness of the last months has left me hyper. I can’t seem to shut off the engine.

It’s not a new sensation. I’ve felt it every summer when we get away to the mountains. Relaxation does not come quickly. In fact, just about the time I finally hit the pause button, it’s time to go home and get ready for a new semester.

Not a good thing. Even God took a break after six days of creating. I’m thinking that the ability to chill (really chill, without a sideward glance at my Day-Timer or Facebook) is a godly thing to do.

Anyway, I intend to work on it in retirement.

And this front porch is going to help. 🙂