Is Retirement All It’s Cracked Up To Be?

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Are you ready for retirement? Do you imagine yourself lazing in bed each morning, laughing at the wage slaves who have to rush off to work? If so, you are not alone. But have you really thought the whole retirement phenomenon through? Yes, it will be a break from the grind involved in holding down a job. But working is the ‘Devil you know.’ What do you really know about retirement?

Ah yes! How you have dreamed of this day. It is wonderful to be so busy doing nothing. You have nothing to do. You have nowhere you must go. Perfect! This feeling starts to become tinged with a slight curiosity about what is going on with your old co-workers. You are surprised about having these thoughts, as you often secretly wished they would all leave you in peace. Could it be that you actually enjoyed the office fun and relished the politics? You know that you are now unable to join fully into that scene again. You are the retired person. A visit to your workplace will convince you that there is a gulf between you and the others. They are still working. You are not.

Depending on our marital status, this feeling of disconnection may affect us in differing ways. As single people we may have depended entirely on our work life for social interaction. If so, we will feel a huge gap when we no longer belong to that group. It may be a bit easier for married retirees. Family concerns may keep them occupied. However, the married retiree has some special challenges to face.

Often, married people who retire together find that their relationship to each other has changed due to their work lives. They notice that they have lost some of their common interests. This can be a minor phenomenon–or it can lead to separation. Each couple handles the challenge differently

Retirees are able to focus on their health at last, after always having to get out there and function at work. Maybe it is because of an increased awareness of their own bodies. It could be owing to the worsening of long tem conditions. Whatever the reason, deteriorating health becomes a roadblock to fulfilling some of their dreams. Changes may be necessary to long planned trips.

The plans made in younger years for completing a ‘Before I Die’ list may need revision. When those plans were hatched, the planners were young and spry. These days, it takes more luggage to ensure comfort. People who had planned to help with archeological digs in the Amazon will realize that their visits to the sites would need to be by private helicopter. They would need the comfort of a good night’s sleep and a proper meal after spending all of those hours hunched over and sweating it out. Those who anticipated fossil-digging trips to Canada would know that a portable space heater would need to travel with them at all times. They would have to pack all their regular arthritis remedies along with a supply of trigosamine to seal the deal.

So retirement may not be exactly as you thought it would be. So what? With some self examination and good planning, you can paint a revised picture of your retirement years. You spent years looking out for the interests of others while you were working. Look out for your own interests now. Your retirement may not be what you thought it would be. With planning, it can be better.

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