Retirement is not what it's cracked up to be.
May 08 '09
The Bottom Line If you've been working all your life, DON'T RETIRE. You'll bore yourself to death.
About five years ago, at the ripe old age of 66, I decided to retire. After all, I did 24 years in the Navy and now another 11 years with the VA. In fact, I've been working since I was tall enough to get my nose up over the counter in my father's grocery store. It was about time I stopped. So, I did.
Biggest mistake I ever made in my entire life. I had nothing to do and all day and night in which to do it. Oh, I promised myself that when I retired I'd get more involved with a fraternal organization to which I belong. I'd do volunteer work for something beneficial. I'd keep busy. Suuurrrre I did.
My day would consist of getting up at 5:00 (I did it all my life, why stop now?), having my coffee, bagel and cream cheese and reading last evening's paper. I chose the paper 'cuz as long as I woke up in the morning, nothing in yesterday's paper could be that disasterous.
OK. I had my coffee, bagel and cream cheese. I've done the NY Times crossword puzzle, the NEA crossword puzzle and the word search puzzle. I've read the paper thoroughly. Since I live in Boston's South Shore, the newspaper I read, the Quincy Patriot Ledger, is a nice regional, family oriented paper and I love it. Much more so than the snotty Boston Globe.
So, I've done all this and it's now 6:15. Now what? Shall I go down to the family room and watch early morning TV? Yukkk. Can I go back to bed? Hell, no. I'm up. That's it. The only thing left is for me to crank over the computer, check my email and play some games--most notably cribbage. I love cribbage. I learned it in Navy boot camp in 1956 (Yes, I'm THAT old) and I've become fairly good at it.
OK, now I've checked my email, answered some emails, played solitaire--both Klondike and Free Cell, done a Soduku puzzle or three, solved two jig saw puzzles and it's now 7:35. Sheesh! The morning is dragging by. On to the cribbage game!
I play on the Yahoo web site under several different names 'cuz after one reaches a certain level of expertise, it becomes difficult to find an opponent worth playing. This way I can start a new ID and find new opponents.
The Bride (notice the capital letters) is still asleep. (As long as I call her The Bride I don't have to take out the trash. Works for me.) This means no intelligent conversation unless it's with the cat. We have a smokey, gray-brown Maine Coon Cat and he speaks English. Well, at least he understands it. We call him Killer 'cuz he's such a wus.
I talk to Killer and he, being the very vocal cat that he is, replies to me with a series of brrrps, mews, and throaty noises designed to scare nobody. He head-bumps me, then jumps into my lap and butts his forehead against mine. Now THAT'S a very high complement from a cat. They only head-bump and head-butt people they truly love.
He tells me he wants to go out (mrr-oouuutt). Since I can understand Cat as well as he understands English, this is no problem. I let him out, go back to the 'puter and sit there with my thumb in my butt and my mind in neutral. Now what? It's just a little past 8:00 and I've got nothing to do! I've already played cribbage, bingo, two forms of solitaire and made more coffee. (Huge, heart-rending sigh that nobody hears.)
I know--maybe I'll go downstairs and trim the shrubs. No, can't do that 'cuz the sound of the trimmer would wake The Bride. If I can't do that, then I certainly can't mow the lawn, either. I just finished repainting the house last week, so that's out. Downstairs to watch TV in the family room.
I sit in my recliner, recline (well, what's recliner for if not to recline?), pick something on the Animal Planet channel--preferably something with lions or tigers killing antelopes or with wild chimpanzees acting too much like human beings and promptly fall asleep for two hours.
Now The Bride's awake and stirring in the kitchen. She's making coffee.
"Hey, there! How about we go out for some breakfast?"
"I don't feel like it."
"Well, finish your coffee and let's go do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Something--anything--we'll think of something."
"I don't feel like it. Why don't you go someplace and I'll stay here?"
"I want some company."
"So take the cat."
Grrrrrrrr.
This went on for five years. I got more and more surly. Finally, after I was diagnosed with two kinds of cancer, had chemo for one and surgery for the other and had fully recovered, I decided to find a job.
"Honey, why do you want to go back to work? You're retired now and you've just had a bout with cancer. Stay home and relax."
"I don't wanna stay home. I'm bored out of my skull!."
And so it goes for another half-hour until I finally go back upstairs to play more cribbage.
That's my day--and evening. Or at least it was until a job came open at the VA to do administrative work in the Hematology/Oncology Department. Perfect for me. Who's better suited to work with cancer patients than a survivor? I know what they're going through.
So, I put in an application and by God, I got the job! Wow! I'm gonna be useful again. I'm going back at the same pay grade and step grade as when I left. I'm happy now.
We go out and buy me a whole new wardrobe for work. Well, after all, when they removed my esophagus, I lost over 80 pounds. Nothing fits me anymore. We bought me some clothes. Then we bought me some more clothes. Then some more, and more. I've become a clothes horse.
I look very good going to work each day, I look forward to going to work each day and I'm so glad to be able to feel productive again. To hell with retirement. This is so much better.
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Epinions.com ID:
masonmaven
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Location: Massachusetts, United States
Reviews written: 38
Trusted by: 9 members
About Me:
Opinionated old fart who calls 'em as he sees 'em.
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