A Quick Thought: “Retirement”
I have been a lawyer for 35 years! In that time, among many other things, I have had the pleasure of clerking for three appeals court judges, working at two major law firms, teaching at four different law schools and two policy schools, helped found an LGBTQ health association, worked at a sexuality education think tank, earned an MPhil in Public and Urban Policy, worked for a legal services organization, and founded a free legal clinic for law students to serve the poor with attorney supervision.
This month, March 2023, I retire from the practice of law. But I purposefully put the word “retirement” in quotes above because I am not one to now put my feet up on the sofa and eat bonbons while watching my favorite soaps (as tempting as that may be, and not because I have anything against soaps or bonbons!). Instead, I look forward to expanding my interfaith and interspiritual ministry. I also look forward to achieving more of a work-life balance (finally): where spirituality, health, and self-care, are my new priorities, and as such mark a new chapter in my life.
My spiritual companion (who we used to call our spiritual director) bestowed this blessing on me recently:
A BLESSING FOR RETIREMENT
By John O’Donohue
This is where your life has arrived,
After all the years of effort and toil;
Look back with graciousness and thanks
On all your great and quiet achievements
You stand on the shore of new invitation
To open your life to what is left undone;
Let your heart enjoy a different rhythm
When drawn to the wonder of other horizons.
Have the courage for a new approach to time;
Allow it to slow until you find freedom
To draw alongside the mystery you hold
And befriend your own beauty of soul.
Now is the time to enjoy your heart’s desire,
To live the dreams you’ve waited for,
To awaken the depths beyond your work
And enter into your infinite source.
Amen
I am sure it is no surprise to any professional these days—lawyer, doctor, social worker, IT Specialist, etc.—that our lives and our time can get easily out of hand. Take a look at when I first set up this blog and website: my goal was to write and post something every week. Well, I have not posted anything since MLK Day back in January! But having now closed out or re-assigned the 90 or so legal cases I was working on at the time (and I was part-time, mind you, for the last couple of years!), I pledge to be better at posting here more regularly. Maybe not every week, but – and this is the self-care part now – maybe at least once a month.
Have the courage for a new approach to time;
Allow it to slow until you find freedom
John O’Donohue’s words ring loudly. My ministry is not a career, but a calling. As such, I look forward to seeing the Divine Spark in all I encounter. Want to join me on the ride? Take a closer look at this website and see if I have anything to offer you on your journey! Then reach out and contact me.
To live the dreams you’ve waited for,
To awaken the depths beyond your work
And enter into your infinite source.
Peace and blessings until next time!
Rev. Chris