RETIRED - or retreaded?? Transitions...

I remember as a young man hearing Elder S. Dilworth Young speak in a general conference address. Due to reorganization and changes in how Seventies were functioning in the Church, he was released from a leadership role in the First Council of Seventy and became a member of the First Quorum of Seventy.
He spoke eloquently about his sense of the joy of service, commenting that the didn't at all feel he was being "retired" (as some had wondered) but instead was being "retreaded" for ongoing service. I've never forgotten his analogy and expression of eagerness to go on working and serving.

[Sidenote: the concept of retreading tires is not as well known as it was in my youth. It refers to the practice of taking an old, worn-out, bald car tire and adding a new layer of rubber tread to give the tire new life and utility.]

Today, I "retired" from my career in the IT department at Brigham Young University. For that matter, after almost 33 years of full-time employment, I'm retiring from that phase of my life. But I hope I'm really just "retreading" myself for better things to come.

I've been a BYU employee for almost 15 years. Like every job, there were ups and downs; but it's been a great institution to be affiliated with, and I've appreciated the things I learned and experienced here. I never planned or aspired to return to BYU as an employee; that just kind of happened on its own. But there have been some real benefits.

Today as I walked around campus, taking care of final details with the employment office and many other groups required to "sign me out," it was a little melancholy. I recalled coming here as a wide-eyed freshman almost 42 years ago (can that be true??). It took me 9 years to finish my undergraduate degree in computer science, given interruptions for a mission, a long internship, international travel experiences, etc.  When I finally had my degree in 1983 I rushed away from campus before the graduation ceremony to take my first job at IBM in Virginia, never dreaming I would be back as an employee. So in a way, I've come "full circle" to end where I began.

I've always hoped to retire early, while I still had energy to "enjoy life" in ways you can't while employed. Bonnie and I have worked for this goal, and have been blessed in many ways along the path. So this is not an end; it's a beginning. "The best is yet to come." I will be "retreading" myself for a variety of activities to fill the time; I will be busier than ever.

It was nice to have a farewell luncheon with some of the folks I've worked most closely with in recent years. It's the people that make any activity worthwhile:

But when it came time to leave, I just picked up the few things still in my office space and slipped quietly out the back door of the building into the parking lot. I have to admit I didn't even look back; I was too busy looking forward, seeing the beautiful view and pondering what the next mountain is to climb (both symbolically and literally!).

It's kind of an uneasy feeling to be doing this. We're not COMPLETELY ready. Bonnie will be working for another year or more while I start getting caught up on projects and interests that I've been postponing for 33 years. Then we'll begin pursuing our shared dreams of service and travel. Do I have 20 good years left? I hope so. But however long the time is, I hope to make the best of every year, every day that I am granted!