So – even though I'm approaching 75 – I don't believe retiring will ever work for me. Not as long as I can drag myself to work.
After spending a week in the most beautiful place on earth, I'm beginning to look forward to rejoining our mission back home.
And it's not like I’m bored or there’s nothing to do. I spend time at the gym and swimming pool. Sometimes I walk on the beach in the early morning. I read and write daily. A massage here and there. I visit some of our favorite restaurants. I take my wife shopping for clothes and jewelry. Maybe it's like eating chocolate cake: too much can be cloying.
The larger perspective is that even though I've been working with addicts for over 23 years I never feel like I don't want to go to the office. It enriches the soul to help others smile again. To have a mission of helping others makes me feel alive.
Yes, working with recovering addicts and alcoholics produces energy – sapping drama. But it's nothing a week or two away doesn't remove.