I thought that when I stopped playing Japanese weddings I would get my holidays back. (Japanese weddings are scheduled 7 days a week, and holidays such as Thanksgiving are not observed.)

I thought that when I retired from church music, I would get my weekends and holidays back.

I thought when I retired from Iolani School, I wouldn’t be seeing the students anymore.

I thought that when I retired from my parish administrator job, I would have seven days a week to do whatever I wanted.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

Tomorrow is the observation of Veteran’s Day, and just today, I realized that I’m teaching six days a week to seventeen organ students, including teaching on tomorrow’s holiday in addition to several students taking multiple lessons a week. With our student recital just a week away, it’s crunch time. Everyone dares not miss their lessons!

With the task of being the webmaster/blog writer/lightning rod for my Class of 1968 of Burbank High School, (and next year is our class’s 50th Reunion, and I’m answering numerous emails every day and writing 3-4 blog posts per week!) plus the sole organizer/webmaster/publicist/shopper for my condo’s annual Christmas party at which we expect 300+ people, you can guess that my days are pretty filled up. And since I’m accompanying three Christmas concerts (Handel Messiah and Rutter Gloria for the Kona Choral Society, Christmas carols for the Oahu Choral Society and Iolani School’s Thanksgiving chapel and Christmas concert) you would think—that I am the furthest away from being retired!

Oh, my daily routine includes a 2-1/2 mile walk, plus I study Spanish an hour every day (using three online programs: Fluencia, Duolingo and Synergy Spanish) and always work the daily crossword and sudoku—those are on my everyday must do list.

After Thanksgiving (which I am hosting for 10 people this year) I will be going back to St. Elizabeth’s to help the new parish administrator. (The one I trained to replace me is now in graduate school.)

What a life of retirement, right?!