When Did We Get Here?

My husband and I are at the point in our lives where we’ve started talking more seriously about retirement.

Mickey has worked for our county government for 20 years, and if everything goes according to plan, he’s looking at retiring in about five years. Since I work from home and genuinely love what I do, I’m not really sure what retirement will look like for me—or when it will happen.

But just the fact that we’re having these conversations feels a little strange, because I don’t feel that old.

I remember when our parents retired. At the time, retirement seemed like something that happened to old people. They had worked their careers, raised their families, and reached that far-off stage of life that seemed like it would take forever for us to get to. And yet, here we are.

Somehow, while we were busy working, paying bills, raising a family, taking care of a home, losing people we loved, welcoming new ones, celebrating anniversaries, and simply living ordinary Wednesday afternoons, the years kept moving. Life doesn’t slow down for any of us.

I think that’s one of the strange things about getting older. On the inside, you don’t necessarily feel all that different. There are still things you want to do. Places you want to go. Things you want to learn. You still laugh at silly things, make plans for next summer, and wonder what you’re going to have for dinner. Then you look at the calendar and realize decades have passed.

Lately, I’ve been thinking that maybe there’s a lesson in that. We spend so much of our lives looking toward the next thing, at least I sure do.

When we’re young, we can’t wait to grow up. Then we can’t wait to get married, buy a place of our own, get established, take the vacation, pay something off, reach the weekend, or finally get to the point where life settles down a little. But life is happening while we’re waiting.

Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

I don’t think that verse is meant to make us afraid of how quickly time passes. I think it’s a reminder to recognize how valuable our days are while we’re living them.

Maybe that’s one of the gifts of getting older. You begin to understand that a regular Monday morning is something to be thankful for. Sitting across the table from the person you’ve loved for decades is a gift. A walk on a beautiful day is a gift. Family dropping by, dogs underfoot, dinner cooking in the kitchen, and even the work waiting for you tomorrow—all of it is part of a life that is passing much faster than we realize.

Five years from now, Lord willing, Mickey will close the door on a career that has been a big part of our lives for decades, and we’ll step into another season together. I don’t know exactly what that season will look like. But I’m beginning to realize I don’t need to. God has been faithful through every season that brought us here, and I can trust Him with the ones still ahead.

So instead of wondering, How did we get this old already? Maybe the better response is, “Thank You, Lord, for letting us get here. And help us not miss the beauty of today while we’re looking toward tomorrow.”

August 19, 2026, Morning Brew