No one retires peacefully, everyone retire hurt! Two years from now every person of my age group would be retiring and putting up his legs to relax. So what have they done which I haven’t? They all saved for their retirement and planned to take pensions, travel, farm and just simply do nothing at all. So all are flushed with money, you ask?flushed with money, you ask?
They surely must be flushed with funds. After all, you do get retirement benefits like superannuation policies getting matured, gratuity, pension and pension funds, shares and stock certificates, government bonds, houses, bank and post office deposits, liquid cash, gold and other bullion, vehicles and house full of appliances, et al. But when you ask whether they are all provided for in their old age? My answer will be negative.
I haven’t come across any human being who has enjoyed his retired life from any point of view. Be it financial, professional, personal or spiritual. No one seems to have the so called happy retired life. So you may ask why am I being so skeptical? The truth of the matter is there isn’t any putting up your legs or taking long holidays with your loved ones. It never happens. Sure, we see such lovely couples trekking up the Machu Pichu or swimming in the beaches of Bali or Lombok and yet dig deep down inside and you will find the Great Barrier Reef. It is surely an escape for these dear couples.
The money seems to fly away as soon as it has dawned retirement. The kids flock to get their pieces of flesh. You owe them some. Some other idiots transfer their hard earned money to their children, who are btw capable of handling anything, and rue the rest of their life. Otherwise they decide to move in with one of their grown up kids to face the most humiliating life of all. The mismatch that happens with their grown up son or daughter or their spouses or grandchildren is worth a Shakespearean tragedy.grown up son or daughter or their spouses or grandchildren is worth a Shakespearean tragedy.
The money flashes by as soon as it comes in. The wealth diminishes in spectacular show of disenchantment and the gold or bullion looses its luster sooner than they could think. The gilt securities and shares are reduced to junk. The expenses mount and the water reaches the bottom.
When they arrive at such a dire strait their own children take to heels. They don’t want to be seen anywhere near the parents who are going to touch them for money. Friends too bid adieu since they are not able to play their tunes. The office or workplace where they slogged so many years becomes an unknown place. No one recognizes them. Their acquaintances are now unknown faces.
The diseases pile on and the doctors bills are never ending. They wonder where these diseases were when young. Even though none of these are hereditary or geriatric, yet they follow them around. The cost of medicines are too prohibitive. Earlier they could claim the medical bills, now even the insurance is worthless. Then the older you grow, the tests become exponentially bigger.
Your head aches, your back gives way, your prostrate or uterus is giving troubles, you can’t lift weights, you are not able to climb stairs, your legs give way, the letters become invisible or indistinct, your glasses need a change…. Is there a dearth of problems?
Even though you can stand in elders queues, but there are too many of them! Now you hate these baby boomers. Since you became unsteady in your hands, so someone has to drive you down for grocery shopping. Thank God for the cellphone. You can call your grocer whom you are sure about his practice of overcharging.
The Internet was so simple. It used to be a dial in connection and now with the wifi you cannot figure it out. Too many apps to be downloaded. You get fed up with the junk mail that you receive. Someone asked you to join Facebook and all your silly old friends wanted to make friends with you. You hardly remember them, yet, they seem to know a lot about you and your childhood days. Pesky people!
Now that your stored water is over, what would you do? Join some church group or take up part time job? You mull over it and decide that you would solve some money issues if you would take up a decent job. The people who offer you jobs are real Devils but who cares. They pay you peanuts but it really doesn’t matter. You have somewhere to go to and forget the pain of retirement for sometime in life. The weekends too become busy for you. The money is no good but there are too many advantages for taking up another job.
You just pray that this dreams lasts longer. For ten more years at the least.
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