RETIREMENT PITFALLS
SO, WHAT DO ALL THESE FOLK HAVE IN COMMON?
FAIRLY HAPPY BUNCH I can hear you say. True!
In fact they have all retired! Yep, all retired!
Man this retirement thing is a bit on the tricky side. There are heaps of people doing it but just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean you should be jumping in willy nilly.
A person works for quite a few years – decades. Day in, day out. Then work stops!
For some people, like some doctors, some accountants and lawyers and Crock the dentist, they’ve managed to ease into retirement somewhat gradually. First they have Fridays off. Then they just don’t go in on Mondays and Fridays. You get the idea. Indeed, a number have followed Bev’s angle and taken up something quite foreign like bus driving on a less than full-time basis to give them something to do after their real job has finished. And something quite different from their farming career or whatever it was.
One minute Robbie was a most important person as a well respected deputy principal of a community primary school. The next minute she’s a nobody; just living on the memories of her former occupation and her place of importance. Then there was a really good mate who had an engineering firm. He scaled down to something like 3 days per week. Problem was there’d be a site meeting called on one of the days he wasn’t supposed to be working. Got to be a bit awkward. Think it really affected him big time.
Teachers and principals are a bunch I know a fair bit about. A classroom teacher does a 5 day week (normally.) Most of them retire… They stop teaching… cold turkey. Some of them do a bit of casual (which can be a tough gig.) But how ’bout principals? Bit hard to do a three day week when you’ve been boss of a school. They either want you there all the time or not at all.
There are pitfalls in retirement – like hangin’ around your missus 100% when you used to be around home only 17.5% of the time before that. Some of the spouses can feel a bit cornered.
Eating is another pitfall. Stuck within seven metres of the fridge and six from the pantry…. can be a bit of a danger. Without too many meaningful tasks to be completed and meetings to attend. How many sudokus can you do between brekky and lunch? How many days can you play golf Bill? Dicko?
Of course the health bit is important. Some folks’ health goes down the gurgler at an alarming rate once they cease to be employed on a full-time basis.
So, Dicko, Alpal, Bruce, Bill, Robbie, Army, Morrow, Bud, Jim, Smarty, Reidy, Margy White, Robbo and the rest of you… what are the secrets of retirements? What are the pitfalls and how do you avoid them?
Guess the question we want answered is:
In fact they have all retired! Yep, all retired!
Man this retirement thing is a bit on the tricky side. There are heaps of people doing it but just because it’s popular, doesn’t mean you should be jumping in willy nilly.
A person works for quite a few years – decades. Day in, day out. Then work stops!
For some people, like some doctors, some accountants and lawyers and Crock the dentist, they’ve managed to ease into retirement somewhat gradually. First they have Fridays off. Then they just don’t go in on Mondays and Fridays. You get the idea. Indeed, a number have followed Bev’s angle and taken up something quite foreign like bus driving on a less than full-time basis to give them something to do after their real job has finished. And something quite different from their farming career or whatever it was.
One minute Robbie was a most important person as a well respected deputy principal of a community primary school. The next minute she’s a nobody; just living on the memories of her former occupation and her place of importance. Then there was a really good mate who had an engineering firm. He scaled down to something like 3 days per week. Problem was there’d be a site meeting called on one of the days he wasn’t supposed to be working. Got to be a bit awkward. Think it really affected him big time.
Another engineer became the manager of his wife’s beauty salon. It seemed to work…. OK. Maybe she started seeing too much of him?
Teachers and principals are a bunch I know a fair bit about. A classroom teacher does a 5 day week (normally.) Most of them retire… They stop teaching… cold turkey. Some of them do a bit of casual (which can be a tough gig.) But how ’bout principals? Bit hard to do a three day week when you’ve been boss of a school. They either want you there all the time or not at all.
There are pitfalls in retirement – like hangin’ around your missus 100% when you used to be around home only 17.5% of the time before that. Some of the spouses can feel a bit cornered.
Eating is another pitfall. Stuck within seven metres of the fridge and six from the pantry…. can be a bit of a danger. Without too many meaningful tasks to be completed and meetings to attend. How many sudokus can you do between brekky and lunch? How many days can you play golf Bill? Dicko?
Of course the health bit is important. Some folks’ health goes down the gurgler at an alarming rate once they cease to be employed on a full-time basis.
So, Dicko, Alpal, Bruce, Bill, Robbie, Army, Morrow, Bud, Jim, Smarty, Reidy, Margy White, Robbo and the rest of you… what are the secrets of retirements? What are the pitfalls and how do you avoid them?
Guess the question we want answered is:
How can you ensure retirement is a fabulous time?
Hey, you've got a bit of spare time - click on comments below (somewhere) and tell us one thing you think is a factor for a great retirement.... whether you're there or not!!
Labels: retirement
3 Comments:
Yes. Grahame, retirement means constructing a whole new life. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and do interesting things. It can get you our of the house in the morning! ( And when the snow is on the ground for as long as it has been this winter you need that!)
Love to Fay.
Sue Chivers Calgary
Glad Sue is tuned in! Good onya Sue. Others are too busy to respond!! We're busy selling and buying a house and preparing for the big ride from Cairns to Melbourne in April.
YES, as brother Grahame says, you have to have something with which to occupy your mind AND body. I was told, by a friend, that when I retired I had better have something which was mentally challenging. They were worried about me if I were hurt and couldn't do something physical. I haven't really thought about that so far, although I do have other interests, which are NOT golfing. I haven't been bored, golfing! On Vancouver Island, [Canada], we can "nearly golf 12 months of the year". Winter golf is really a walk with your mates, BUT i've found it too, very enjoyable. Our "real golfing season" doesn't start until March/April and runs through until end of October when "winter golf" takes over. My regular golf sees me play 18 holes at least 3 days a week, with maybe 3 days of 9 hole "competition". IN addition to this "regular week of golf", I often play in an "interclub match" and there is also a weekly competition for "Mid Island Seniors" where you select when and where you want to play along the island. IN 2006 I played 146 days, 2007 I played 195 days and last year 2008, I was on a course somewhere 165 days. No, I'm not bored, LOVE the exercise and the fellowship. I really don't have time to do sudoku or a crossword puzzle. I read, but only a couple of chapters before I go to sleep. I clean and cook for myself, BUT renting also means I don't have to mow the lawns or weed the garden or do "other household maintenance items". Yes, one does have to have enough money to enjoy your selected vocation. An indexed pension is wonderful.
Brother Bill
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