“When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a watch. ” —R.C. Sherriff

This week’s Wednesday Challenge on partner Susan and my alternate site was the word RETIREMENT.

There are three things in life that are inevitable: death, taxes and of course retirement.

We cannot dodge the first two of these situations but when confronted with our own retirement many folks adapt a way of thinking that  highlights the following trains of thought:

• outrage that they are being forced to retire;
• surprised that they would even be considered for retirement because they feel they are at their most productive;
• and happiness that they now have the free time to do what they want to do.

My friend Anne told me that she had conducted her own unofficial research into the way people react to their own retirement and the conclusions above are hers. She noted that a number of people she  spoke with exhibited the first two modes of thinking regarding the topic.

She noted that people who are the most content were those folks who were excited and dedicated to their jobs and after they retired they continued to develop the skills they had honed and developed during their career path.

I retired almost eleven years ago from my manual labor warehousing  job and then had the needed time to develop other personal skills that had laid dormant because were not a main component for my livelihood.

While on the job I did take courses to increase my skills and looked forward to the day when retirement would allow me to pursue my other interests. Student loans and day-to-rayliving expenses were my top priority back then.

At times it seems that other potential retirees I speak with fear their own imminent retirement more so than the grim reaper. Many are optimistic and believe they can squeeze a few extra years of employment from their current employer. They trudge through their jobs sadly knowing that one day their employment will be placed on the chopping block

The continuing presence and influence of the dreaded Covid19 virus has made these recent retirees feel more tension and pressure since their former employment kept them busy throughout their day doing something while under the new restrictions they feel trapped and everyday in their new lifestyle create social activities that give them some game plan to follow.

There just comes a time in a person’s life when they need to realize that their retirement is not a punishment for something they did or failed to do but rather an opportunity to explore and do something novel and possibly grow as a person.

You truly have to plan for your retirement throughout your productive years and not waste time and energy fretting over your cutting the cord with your current employer whose retirement policy is looming in your immediate future.

Weekly Prompts Wednesday Challenge – Retirement