Branching out

I am in the sunset of my working life. I will find myself retired in about 18 months, perhaps sooner. 

I have all kinds of feelings about my working life coming to an end. Wife and I believe we are prepared financially, but it will be strange not to have an employer that deposits money into my bank account every other Friday. It will now be the government and pension plans making the deposits on a monthly basis.  

That, however, is not my main concern. What I mostly think about for the time I'll not be employed is how I will fill my time. 

And that's really not the main concern, either. What I most fret over is how I will establish a routine. 

Today my weekdays revolve around what I do between the hours of 8-ish a.m. and 6-ish p.m. My mornings before I start work generally consist of exercise, some reading and devotions, and making a quick morning run to Sonic. (Don't judge me for that). 

I think working exclusively from home has prepared me for not getting up and going somewhere. That' has been the case for four years now, and before that I did it a couple of days a week. So, I have that part well established and I like it. 

But will I have the discipline to still get up and have some type of routine? I will definitely need to do that as I am a creature of habit, and you know what they say about idle hands. 

I've joined a couple of groups lately that, even though I am not yet retired, should be a nice addition to my schedule when that day comes. 

First, I joined a community chorus. I grew up singing in choirs, both at church and school. I love choral music and I had some wonderful choir directors. In my adult life, when I lived in Little Rock, I continued to sing in church -- in the choir, ensembles and even the occasional solo. 

But when we moved to the Nashville area in 1997, we joined a church that does not have a choir. Our music is contemporary, and it is fine, but there is simply not a place for me. Over the years I have thought of going to another church just to sing in their choir, but Wife and I have always loved our church here and it's a big part of our life, so not having a choir, or music I like, was certainly not a reason to join another church. 

I have thought of asking one of the denominational churches nearby if I could sing in their choir without being a member. I am guessing they would have let me do that, but to date, I have never gotten around to pursuing it. 

Recently I learned that our county parks and recreation department has a community band AND a community chorus! An audition is required, so on January 4th I showed up to try out. I was candid with the director, telling her it had been a very long time since I had sung, and I would understand if, after listening to me, she told me I simply didn't have it anymore. 

After all, I'm no spring chicken and vocal cords age like any other part of the body. And I was woefully out of practice. 

She looked at me rather skeptically but let me proceed with the audition. She had me sing a familiar song ("My Country Tis of Thee") acapella. She had me sing several lines of music I did not know (sight reading) to assess my ability to read music. She had me go through vocal exercises, singing up and down the scale. She had me match pitches with her. 

"Well, I think you still have it," she said after going through the aforementioned. She then proceeded to tell me she had only six openings for the spring semester, and at that time she was not sure where those openings were. In other words, I might have to wait until a spot opened up. 

I told her that was fine, and I appreciated her letting me audition. Someday, I thought to myself. I had at least put myself out there. 

The next week I received an email with an invitation to join! I have been to three rehearsals, and I love it. Even though it has been well over 25 years, it all seems very familiar -- the black folder of music that has my name on it, with a pencil pouch and pencil; the vocal and breathing exercises; and, most significantly, hearing the beautiful harmonies and blends of my fellow choristers all around me. It is as if something that lay dormant in me has been reawakened. 

The music is challenging, but not overly difficult. I seem to be picking it up fairly well. 

I did not know one person in the chorus (there are a total of 96), but everyone, especially those in my section (tenors) has been kind and welcoming. We will perform in concert May 5th, then will be off for the summer. 

So, there is that. 

In addition, in January I attended the first meeting of a monthly book club that meets at my favorite brewery. Like the choir, I didn't know anyone there. There were about 20 of us, from various walks of life, and it was great. We discussed Beartown by Fredrik Backman and I thoroughly enjoyed it (both the book and the discussion).

I am an introvert by nature, and walking into a group where I don't know anyone is way outside my comfort zone. These two groups, however, are perfect for me, because there is a purpose, meaning something that takes place other than small talk. I don't have to worry about going and standing around and thinking of something to say. There is a beginning and an ending. 

In both cases, I have ended up talking briefly to people, but again, since we are all there due to a common interest, it is not uncomfortable. 

Wife says I am branching out. I guess you can call it that. 

And hopefully I'll be prepared when retirement comes.