Friday 27 October 2006

Retirement. Yeuk.


Bit of a lazy day today. Late wake-up, late breakfast, easy get lunch and dinner; maybe eat out. Get in that easy chair that, together with what passes for television entertainment, guarantees attack by the narcoleptic virus. Then, warm drink, dipped biscuits, up the wooden hill. And why not? I have contributed to the common good in excess of my share and now live in retirement 1. Must have been satisfactory – I have the multiple pensions to prove it. There will be no more pensions regardless of Government brou ha ha concerning inclusiveness for oldies.
When my time came round many colleagues made the identical prophesy that I would have so many things to do that I would not have the time to do them. I'd already insulated myself from the instant boredom that I saw as retirement by setting up such a number of projects, surveys and committees that the company deemed my part-time presence was vital so I was able to enter the world of consultant which was also a job title paying far more than hum drum part-timer.
The clean break came about a year later and retirement – aka terminal boredom – was looking me in the face. The Final Journey to USA meant that much time akin to office hours was spent planning and then undertaking that two week round up of old stamping grounds. I had looked at Retirement communities in Arizona. Bans on children except at very limited times, speed mods on golf carts, gated – my dreams. Sadly, reality did not match aspirations.
The idea of running to catch up with commitments has not materialised. I am a dedicated potterer just dodging from one thing to another. I had never looked forward to retirement. As an adrenaline junky, how would I survive? Well, the human spirit is great and adjusts. Retirement Rules OK

1Interesting link here. Oldies. Calderdale. What to do for them. Calderdale was killing ground for Dr Harold Shipman who sent more than 150 people off into early after-life with his magic morphine needle.


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