There was a time when excitement meant chasing new goals — building a career, learning new things, and taking opportunities as they came. I’m not someone who lives for travel, but whether for work, family, or leisure, we’ve ended up visiting every continent — including some very wild places. Antarctica earlier this year was a standout — a long-held dream and the result of 15 years of saving and planning.
Now, many of the big adventures have been accomplished, and I look back with gratitude. I’m a couple of years from retirement and have had the privilege of spending my life in work that reflects who I am — work that’s been shaped by a desire to serve others in the name of Christ. That focus hasn’t changed. In fact, it still excites me.
We’ve invested deeply in the lives of young adults over many years. That’s been one of the great joys and callings of our lives. I’m excited that, even beyond formal work, there’ll still be ways to keep doing that — encouraging, supporting, and walking alongside people as they find their way.
I’ve always enjoyed study — not just as a means to an end but because I genuinely like learning. That hasn’t changed, and I’m still excited about learning as the years go on.
In a few years we’ll be moving into our first owned home — a small two-bedroom unit across from a park and walking distance to a quiet Sydney beach. After a lifetime in work housing and rental places, that feels significant.
I’ve also been shaping a post-retirement rhythm around writing, walking, bush regeneration, and helping others. These are small, steady ways of staying engaged — not just with tasks, but with people and places.
There is peace in this stage. Not the peace of having arrived, but the peace of making space. For beauty. For rest. For investing in others. For the quiet delight of being present to a slower, deeper kind of life.
And that — perhaps more than anything — is what excites me now.
The Afterword 
Leave a comment