Still around the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate,
And though we pass them by today,
Tomorrow we may come this way
And take the hidden paths that run
Towards the moon or to the sun.
from “Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red”
from The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
The poem above is a piece of a larger lyric, sung by Hobbits as a “walking song”’ in J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. It has been many years now since I first made my way through Middle Earth with Bilbo, Frodo and the gang, but I admit to thinking of them often when I am out for a hike, especially if the path is not clear or if I am walking it for the first time. For while they knew the general direction they were headed (southeast toward Mordor), the path and the turns were often uncertain. Some turns led to glorious adventure — usually fraught with battles to be fought with the likes of giant spiders or orcs — but adventures nonetheless.
I am very close to beginning a new walk, as retirement from my position at the university looms large (target date: June 14). The question I hear most frequently, you might imagine, is “what are you going to do?” It’s a fair question since, at age 59, I am not technically retirement age (especially when it comes to the intricacies of health insurance…) I get a plethora of advice from those who know me well and those who don’t. Thanks for all that. I hear you all.
It will likely come as no surprise to those who know me if I say, “I have a plan.” I’m kind of an idea/plan/organization-kind of guy, after all. And I do have a plan, of sorts. Here’s the plan: I’m going to keep doing all the things I did in every spare moment I could wrangle outside of work for the past 40 years of adulthood. The difference is that I am no longer going to get up every morning, put on a suit and tie, and follow that prescribed path to the university. I love that university and so many of my colleagues there. It has been the great privilege of my life to work among them as they advanced the march of human knowledge and truth.
But it’s time to give priority to other things while I am still relatively young and healthy. It’s time to write in the morning at the peak of my productive time. It’s time to create music with my friends at a time of day when we’re not all exhausted from the previous 8-10 hours in an office somewhere. Certainly, I hope, the creative juices will flow more freely under such circumstances.
It’s time to respond more fully to the call to minister to others – to keep trying to the best of my ability to bring the good news of what Jesus lived and taught to life through my writing, my music, and my ability to facilitate conversation and introspection in others. It’s time to wake up every morning, embrace the day, and be willing to be surprised by what it (and the God who made it) gives me.
I’m hoping to live a life more completely imbued with the idea that faith in this unseen but ever-moving God is a treasure and an adventure to be chosen on a daily basis. To not only be open to the twists, turns and secret doorways leading to God only knows where, but to actively seek them out, to go looking for what I might not have had the time to imagine possible.
I am healthy now, about a dozen years past the diagnosis of my rare blood disease, almost a decade since my near-brush with a stem cell transplant and the beginning of remission. But I live with the awareness that life is fragile and quick to change. I hope to have many years left to explore paths and respond to calls. But at my age I am still on the downward slope of the journey back to the Shire and that’s okay. When my life eventually changes and throws me another curve, as it most certainly will, I hope I can continue to respond with a voice of faith and hope that resonates and echoes all that I have learned from the Jesus I have encountered throughout the years — in others, in scripture, in church and sacrament, in music, in moments of solitude and silence, and in the least of my brothers and sisters.
So, yes. Me being me, I have a plan. But I am trying hard to also be a Hobbit, and I’m sure a man of great faith like Tolkien would not mind the comparison. I will be looking for new roads and secret gates that I cannot right now even begin to imagine. I’m going to live the kind of life that allows me to remember roads and gates that I might have passed, so that I might turn around and go down them for the first time. And who knows where they may lead? Perhaps not to the moon or the sun, but certainly more earnestly and fully into the arms of God.
22 comments On A ‘New Road or a Secret Gate’
Hi Steve,
Really enjoyed reading your post.I will be praying for you as retirement approaches.You know,it’s fuuny,Steve,but so many of my friends were a little worried about how to fill their time But then found that they were busier than when they were working!
I am sure that your retirement will be very fruitful.
Peace,
Karen
Congratulations Steve. Good for you that you are open to God’s call in your life and what ever path He leads you on. I do hope you continue to share your adventures and your deep faith in Christ with us on this blog!
God bless,
Mary
Thanks, Karen. All the best…
Thanks, Mary…I hope to step up my blogging and be a little more regular…
I am patiently waiting.
Dear Steve, it’s a good plan that you have. May all of your paths be interesting and your discoveries blessings. Welcome to the world of not putting on that suit and tie every day! I’ll see you at a music event soon. Congratulations and God be with you!
Very inspiring Steve thanks for sharing your news and plans with us!
Tom
The feeling remains that God is on the journey too. Teresa of Avila
A quote from one of my favourite books! Thanks.You do remember, Steve, that there is an old saying that if you wish to make God laugh tell Him your plans! So don’t be too surprised if he leads you along one of those new roads or even through one of those secret gates. Just know that He loves you and that you can trust Him to walk with you wherever He leads you. God bless
I’ve been retired for six years. Yes, I’m busier now than I was when I was working.
Each day is an adventure filled with things that keep me looking forward to the next day.
You will do the same.
God bless.
Paul
Thank you, Paul. Appreciate the thoughts…
You are so right, Peter. I hope and pray that all my plans are God’s….
Thank you, Bridget. So glad you are now a part of my new journey. Looking forward to doing some things together…
Thanks, Tom. How’s the reading going?
Thanks, JL. Here’s to what’s next…
Thanks to you, john, for being part of the journey. Here’s to more music. Like today….
Steve, you are in for a treat! Stepping off the treadmill controlled and powered by others, and stepping onto your own.
Retired now for more than 22 years. Still getting up at 5:00 every day. Listening to music more. Pausing to notice the planets at sunrise. Trying to be present in the moment. But the most joyful benefit for me has been answering the call of Pope Francis: âGo to the peripheries.â
Thank you, Tom. You are an inspiration for courage and faith to do just that.
Steve
To quote Peter Pan
“Come with me where dreams are born and time is never planned
May your journey be filled with joy, wonder , and a playful heart!”
Gerry
Thank you, neighbor. I shall keep that very much in mind…a mind at play is a beautiful thing.
So appreciate your blog posts Steve. They resonate with me.
I was a school librarian for over 30 years and concerned about
retiring last June. What has it offered so far? Less stress, watching
the moon rise over the gulf in Florida last week on St. George Island,
longer cups of tea, books and walks on favorite trails. Mores time for
prayer, music and meditation. Retirement is holy time. Blessings-j
Well, that all sounds great…I will take you as one of my inspirations for the good and contemplative life!
Steve