Before I retired, I thought that being retired would mean that scheduling events and activities would be easy. It seemed to me that my schedule would be open and I could do whatever I wanted. While it is true that I have fewer activities and that my job doesn’t add to the complexity of scheduling, it seems that planning my schedule is still a complex process. This is because I like to spend time with other people, and they have their schedules and activities.

Looking forward to this summer, when our grandchildren were still in school, it seemed like we would be able to go camping several times because they had time off from school and we had an open schedule. When we got down to actually scheduling camping trips, we ended up with two overnight camps and one slightly longer three-day trip in three weeks. We head back home today. On Sunday, their family takes off for a short family vacation, leaving us with farm chores and care of their dog. On Tuesday, we begin a trip to Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and South Dakota.. I find myself sitting down with others and going over schedules as much now as I did when I was working.

I don’t mean to complain. I have a wonderful life and am surrounded by family. Yesterday I went kayaking with three of our grandchildren. Today we’ll take our bikes on a trail that I’ve been wanting to explore. Next week I’ll have time with my sister and with both of Susan’s sisters on our way to visit friends in South Dakota. We have the freedom to travel and the time to enjoy fun and interesting people.

However, it is complex. I’ve been exchanging emails and text messages with friends while we are camping. A dear friend suffered a brain bleed a couple of days ago, and his spouse is keeping vigil while he recovers at a specialty hospital in Seattle. I composed a prayer for the couple and sent it to them because we are unable to sit with them in person due to our other commitments. For them, this is the most critical thing in the world right now. It is their highest priority.

My personal prayer list is as long and complex as it was when I was serving as pastor of a congregation. The joy of life in community is balanced by concern for the health of those we love. There have been times when life seemed to stand still when one of my beloveds was in the hospital. But life goes on.

I am surprised to discover how much I enjoy routines in my life. I thought that being retired would involve doing new things nearly every day. I enjoy new ideas and new experiences, but I also enjoy things that repeat. I like to go for a walk with my wife every day. I want to ride my bike every day. We have dinner with our grandchildren almost every Saturday. I enjoy routines. This journal is one of those routines. I had planned to have stopped daily essays by now. July 16 was the eighteenth anniversary of the daily publication of my journal. But writing has become a habit. And I am slow to break habits. So I continue to write and publish my journal. Now I am telling myself that when I complete the remodeling of my website, I will shift from publishing daily essays. I don’t know when I’ll get that job done. I may be publishing daily for some time now. Or perhaps I will cut back and skip a day now and then. I am not sure.

What I do know is that with the complex pace of my life, it helps me to rise and write for a while each morning. I sort out my thoughts. I make time to pray for this wounded world. I express a few of my thoughts in words. And when I have written for a few pages, publishing my words to the website is a tiny job that takes just a minute. During a busy life with complex schedules, something is reassuring about a repeated task. I know how to write and post to my website.

I am, however, making a change with today’s entry. As we enter a new month, Most of my journal entries are between 1,000 and 1,200 words. I set a goal of writing a 1,000-word essay early in the process of writing my journal. I’ve proven to myself that I can do that task. In the future, my journal entries will vary in length more than they have in the past.

I may find comfort in routines, and I have many habits, but I am also capable of change.