I talked with a friend yesterday and confessed my disdain for a ridiculously simple project that has been sitting in pieces in my living room for nearly three months.

It’s not that I don’t have the time.
I’m retired.

It’s not that it’s complicated.
It came with simple instructions.

It’s not that I don’t have the tools.
It even came with the Allen wrench.

Then she asked me a simple question:

“Is putting that thing together really how you want to spend your time these days?”

My answer was an emphatic NO.

Then she asked another:

“Could you pay someone who needs a few extra bucks to put it together for you?”

That answer was an emphatic YES.

And suddenly, this stupid little unfinished project taught me something.

Retirement leaves me with two resources: time and money.

And these days, one has become far more precious to me than the other.

Meanwhile, the other may be far more precious to someone who has many more days ahead of them than I do.

So maybe the answer is simple:

When you can, bless someone with what you have—and receive in return what you value more.

Sometimes that means giving your time.
Sometimes it means giving your money.

Spend both wisely.

Because in the end, you can’t take either one with you.