The Next New Normal

Today the next new normal begins. It is the first day of my husband’s retirement, arriving a year after mine. We have agreed to pace ourselves.  We will unwind from our working lives before we dive into more serious leisure.  

We have shared expectations. How do we strike the balance of togetherness and space for our separate interests? I’m sure we’ll get it wrong some days, but today was a good practice run.  I felt a little like a kid with a new neighbor moving in next door.  Should I ask him to come out and play?  Or should I let him get settled first?  I did not have to choose.  He challenged me to a card game at the kitchen table and then we both went back to our offices. 

The first completed todo was symbolic of the new start.  We rearranged the clothes in his closet.  We moved dress shirts and sport coats to the back and casual attire to the front. When I retired, I shifted my closet to Project 333.  That’s the minimalist fashion challenge that invites you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months. Every three months, I choose 33 different garments and it almost feels like I went shopping.

Changing wardrobes. Changing schedules. Changing priorities.

This change is exciting.  But all change brings unknowns.  And unknowns bring anxiety. When life brings the uncertainty of a new beginning, we know one thing will remain the same.

…his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; [Lamentations 3:22-23]

Unchanging mercies.  They will be fresh every morning.  A new normal today.  A new mercy tomorrow.  Thank you, Lord, for the sameness of your daily mercies in the newness of our changes.