Thursday, September 16, 2021

Thursday Rambles - Aging - Retirement


A friend posted on Facebook about her grandson starting school for the first time, he will graduate high school in the class of 2034, University in 2038, if he goes to Medical School he will finish his training and specialization when statistically I am dead.  

Sweet fellow blogger Spo posted recently on the topic of sometimes wanting to run away from it all. I posted a comment about a co-worker who very dramatically quit a job one day - pissing all over the conference table on his way out the door - kind of the ultimate running away - or setting fire to a public building.  Not really the exit most of us want, not the way we want to be remembered - though he will never be forgotten by those who were in the office that morning.  Yet we probably all have those moments of frustration when we dream about a dramatic exit. 

I had a couple of those moments this week, with wonky computer issues, and stupid responses from technical support.  I am fairly open about my plans to retire, and my intended timing.  One of the advantages of leaving when I want, the way I want, will be to avoid standing up one day and shouting, "I AM TOO OLD FOR THIS SHIT, AND I AM NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!" 

Months of working at home, were good practice for retirement.  Getting out for walks, doing the shopping, taking photos, blogging, reading and writing are all things that will fill my time.  I look forward to being able to travel without time constraints.  The last trip we did to Europe was in March, really off season, hotels were cheap(er,) airline seats easy to get, places were not crowded.  When J was teaching off season travel was only an option when he was on sabbatical or leave every 7 years or so, and we did a couple of those winter trips.  The constraint now is only being away for a couple of weeks at a time. I look forward to planning a trip and not having an end date before I start planning.   

I just need to stay healthy enough and live long enough to enjoy some of this.  Getting old is not easy. 


 

 


16 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I don't mind working, but having gone through the pandemic, almost an entire year on my own, I have no problems filling my time, and can always find places to go...so I now look forward to retiring. Though, I have some years left yet.

    And on a leaving note, I prefer to leave places on a very quiet note. Problem is I get to be well liked at past jobs, and most create a fan fare on last weeks and days. I enter quiet and like to leave the same. I often said the same on blogging. I appeared one day, and will leave the same one day, just up and stop.

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  3. "I just need to stay healthy enough and live long enough to enjoy some of this." That is my goal right there. Retirement is the life I have planned for and hope to enjoy some day. I look forward to us both enjoying it.

    Sassybear
    www.idleeyesandadrormy.com

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    1. I am closer than you are, meaning I am older

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  4. Anonymous9/16/2021

    The desk pisser didn't leave with good grace, but he is certainly remembered. However you leave, it will be a mark of your personality and character.

    We've missed two years of winter travel and we are not getting younger. My partner at 72 does not have the energy levels now and I really don't know if we can do the long haul journeys we as Australians must do. We won't be able to travel until 2022. How foolish we were to think 2021 would be better than 2020. It has been worse but vaccination safety is on the horizon by 2022.

    Yeah, stay healthy and be able to travel.

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    1. I am watching that age point, Jay is 4 years old than I, if I work to long, father time will catch up with us.

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  5. I’m not big on the “getting old is not easy” phrase (although it‘s true). YOU are not old and I hope you have so many good years left that you’ll look back on these days and say, “Oh, I was so young.” When my grandfather was around 80, he told me about a very old, old, old, old man he knew. I figured he must have been 110, so I asked how old he was and my grandfather said in wonder 86! My grandfather didn’t acknowledge that he himself was old until he turned 91. He was stunned.

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    1. Old is always older than we are, until there is no one older than we are

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  6. You're only as old as you feel and most days I feel much younger than I actually am. And I, too, hear about people a few years older than myself and think, 'Gosh, they're getting old.'
    As my father likes to say about getting older ...think of the alternative.

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    1. My left hip feels about 150 this week

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  7. Well, you know what I'm going to say. Retirement is the BEST!

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  8. I've been thinking a lot lately about the things I know I can do and the things I'm pretty sure I'm too old to do when it comes to travel.

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    1. There are a few trips that if they are ever going to be done, need to be done in the next decade. Then I can take long drive, or slow train rides.

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  9. Persevere and it will arrive. We want you well for your post-work life.

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