Retirement Rocks: A 14-Day Reading Plan for All That Free TimeSýnishorn

"Wait, you're turning my old bedroom into... a what?

Kathleen laughed as she shifted the cell phone to her other ear to respond to her daughter’s question. “A scrapbooking room, honey.”

“I didn’t know you were into scrapbooking, Mom.”

“I wasn’t.” Kathleen paused to looked at the messy room. “Only, now I am. You should see all the stuff I ordered online. I’m so excited.” This led to a lengthy chat about all her recent purchases—everything from paper to stamping kits to ink. She could hardly wait to get started!

“What does Dad think?” Courtney asked.

“Oh, he’s so busy planting vegetables in the garden behind the garage that he doesn’t even realize what I’m doing up here.”

“Wait, we have a vegetable garden behind the garage?”

"We do now!"

Maybe this story gave you a chuckle because you can relate. Parts of your home are changing—shifting from what they used to be to what they are now. Maybe you’re accommodating incoming hobbies, or perhaps you’re turning that old office into a guest room. Regardless, retirement is the perfect time to transform spaces, to repurpose them. That extra attic space? Maybe you can reinvent it, do something fun and different with it. That patch of ground behind the garage? Terrific box garden space. That spare bedroom? The decor from the eighties has to go. Maybe you could turn it into a quilting room.

Yep, there are plenty of things to keep you busy these days. So, look at everything with an inquisitive eye . . . and then dive right in.

I’m excited about the possibilities, Lord. I love to transform spaces. Give me excitement as I look at the many ways my home can become more usable to me during this season. Amen.