Looking Forward to Retirement? Yeah Nah

So you are looking forward to retirement. Roll on 65, you say. I will be getting paid by the government to stay home and reap the years of paying tax. No more 9 to 5 work. No more waking to the alarm clock each weekday morning. No more crawling to work in traffic for 45 minutes each way. Golf three times a week… or fishing or bowls. What about the overdue remodelling of the house or garden? Ah, that long-awaited overseas trip. All those movies I haven’t yet watched. Then there is my bucket list. Yes sir, roll on 65.

But wait; there is more to consider! There is a question that you have to answer before you retire – what will I do on Tuesdays?

With retirement comes a heap of free time. Do I have friends to spend this time with? Do I have the health and physical capacity to undertake all these opportunities? Who am I when I retire? What is my title, my status, my worth? I have no job identity! Do I have the financial resources to do any of the things I thought I would do in retirement?

I will never be as rich as I am the day I retire. Chances are I will never be as healthy as the day I retire. On average, I only have 200 months left to live. Have the wounds of my life caught up with me? Will I face a mountain of unfulfilled dreams and the realities of my broken relationships?

Retirement can be a scary time for many people and couples. Over the next 5 issues we will discuss issues to be addressed by men and women planning for retirement and in retirement. The ideal situation is that  you plan for this season of retirement or THE THIRD AGE of your life. It should be the most rewarding season of your life but to ensure it is, it is not a season to be drifted into or forced upon you.