The title of "My World Today" seemed as good as any other when I had a job (or 2) to go to on a regular basis. But it seemed not to fit what, it seems to have become, retirement. I'm still trying to come to terms with my life as it is, but with God's help, I'll make it through. But that is not what I want to explain right now. Why did I change the title of my blog AND why "Life Without a Briefcase"? Let me explain.
I graduated high school in 1967 and was going to business college for computer programming. Because of the Vietnam War, however, all teenage males knew that sooner or later a decision had to be made. Without going into the decision itself, or the options, MY only option was what branch of the service I was going to go into. The draft was going strong and the "Lottery" approach to the draft had not yet been enacted. The draft happened on a county by county quota. If your county had a lot of draft age males, perhaps your draft notice might not come until you were 20. But in my county, Madison County, Ohio, there was a shortage of draft eligible males so I knew my draft notice would come shortly after my 19th birthday. So I enlisted in the Air Force instead. After basic training, basic and advanced electronics schools, I was given orders to go to the island of Guam in the Pacific. What I found out was, at that time, each airman carried his own pay records in a dark blue circular tube. This tube was an incredibly odd size and shape to carry. And there didn't seem to be a good way to carry it. I was determined to find some way to carry this thing that wouldn't be so awkward yet would be securely stowed away and I wouldn't forget it. As I looked in stores, nothing seemed to fit. After a lot of searching, I found out that Samsonite had a very thick briefcase made of some type of hardened metal and plastic that was just large enough to fit the large blue tube into the front of the briefcase if I didn't put anything into the back of it. After carrying it halfway around the world, I found it to be handy to carry to work everyday. As the years went by, both in the Air Force and later in the Federal Aviation Administration, I found it to be an everyday necessity. When I started pastoring a church in Michigan and later in Kansas, I found it even more vital to carry. When I retired from the FAA I was still carrying one to my office at the church. But after I retired I brought it home and forgot about it. The other day I happened to look over in the corner of my office, here at home and saw it. I realized that I hadn't touched it since I brought it home the last day I pastored up in Parkville,MO and that was the longest I had gone since I was 19 years old without carrying one. In fact, I carried the same briefcase since I became a supervisor with the FAA in 1986 (a gift from my wife LaDonna). The only reason I had retired the earlier briefcase (I've only had 2 in my lifetime) was that it took an unfortunate stab in it's top by a forklift (another story). I realized that my life had taken a sharp turn when I looked at my briefcase over in the corner all alone. My work life, both the good and the bad were now a thing of the past. Even though I didn't specifically retire from preaching and pastoring (the Lord had just told me to resign the pastorate I was at) it seems clear now, that part is over as well. Not because I wish it to be, but because the need, for me to be either, seems absent.
So, "Life Without a Briefcase" it is!
God bless all who read this,
Dave Mingus
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