Retirement

Like so many things in my life I seem to be making a bigger deal of retirement than I need to.  But I do wonder what it will look like and if I am fortunate enough to get to experience it. 

Some people aren’t: you never expect the unexpected.

I think of grandma Bower: riding horses, taking care of the cows, grand kids.. nothing changed for her at 65! She should have died young with all the work and grief she struggled under, but she didn’t.  Made it to her 90’s and managed to hold on to a farm.  

Mom?  She took care of her family.. her man.  Things haven't changed that much for her either.   

Retirement seems to be a relative term doesn’t it.  And too, doesn’t it depend on a lot on what I look like?  

If a person is healthy and strong it will be rather different than if we feel old and decrepit.. won’t it?  So much is dependent on variables we have no control over: like fitting your life into those little boxes at the bank or on those ‘Are YOU Ready for Retirement?’ questionnaires.

Paperwork never has worked for me: why should that change.   

Now that Vas is 60 and I’m going to be looking 55 in the eye… my people and I are starting to ask 1. When I’ll retire 2. Where I’ll live and 3. What I’ll do with my free time.

And the answer is 1. Damned if I know/ 2. Damned if I know and 3. Right.. damned if I know!   

1. When?  Well.. so far I’ve been lucky enough to just work at things I’ve been interested in for as long as I’ve wanted.  I have quit maybe 100 jobs? I guess I’ve not loved any one thing so long that I wanted to stay long enough to collect a good pension.

Bugger!

They say you reap what you sow.. so I guess I may have to work well into retirement - unless I don’t.    I have lots of friends that are far better organized.. with an exact date.  Nice.   

2. Where to retire?

Mom and dad had this all figured out before they were 50: how lucky were they?!  However, I am not even sure of the country...

Australia full time?  Probably not. 

Mom keeps asking if I will be retiring in Canada.. Madeira Park: lots of opportunity and beauty there.  I would love to be near family and it is so very important to me that I have a place there… which I am thankful my parents provide.  But the winters at the coast of B.C. are long … and dark.  And would there be room for me all year around?

How about four..five months a year… how cool would that be?!  Fall, spring, summer.. sounds like a plan!  Maybe I could even spend a month or so with Mary.. do some skiing in the winter.. Friends: I adore mine. 

Oh ya.. retired.  Does that mean I can’t ski? Maybe I'll have to take up horse back riding.. like grandma. 

Or just hang out in the hot tub.

Bulgaria.  Tempting to be close to Europe.. lovely people. There are trains to everything.  Besides, there’s nothing complicated about Dolna Banya and there are those hot pools.  It’s cheap, it’s simple: low tech.. what about the medical system?..hmm.. 

I hope Jackie manages to keep it.. at least for a long while yet. 

And..maybe a beach somewhere: Maybe South East Asia. It sounds nice and is definitely on my ‘list’.  There a lot of people that semi-retire in places where the sun is plentiful and the beer is cheap.. I could do that. 

A few months here.. a few months there.  Sort of like I’m doing now.

3. And what to do?  I failed my grade 12 aptitude test – not because I didn’t want to do anything.. but because I wanted to do everything and had absolutely no idea what to focus on.  Still don’t.

There’s too much to do and see in the world...
Dawn reminded me that life is not a race... 

Maybe I'll take up painting?  Make T-shirts.

The guitar?.. that is not going to happen.

Write children’s books?.. I could do that! 

And there is always volunteer work.

Or teaching English... to someone.. somewhere.. 

If more people would vote for me (blogyourwaytothenorthpole.com for those of you that haven’t done it yet!!!) I could maybe become a famous blogger.  

It's a new decade... and not time for retirement yet: however it manifests itself.  Every ten years has brought about a different stage, a new era in my life.. and I am truly looking forward to this next one.

Really: ain't life grande?!