Why Are We So Busy?
Myths and misconceptions about retirement. – I have now been retired (mostly) for the past six years so, whilst I am still a relative newcomer to retirement, I have had ample opportunity to reflect on how I reached this stage. This stage being a state of staying fairly constructive and busy, whilst body and brain start the long (hopefully slow) decline into old(er) age – just when we could use more energy and vitality rather than less!
I guess I expected to be a man of non-stop leisure, forgetting that my life long partner’s work would never be done. Her work around the house needs to be shared and I have adapted slowly to that needed change. However, the continued demands on her time and effort for the children and grand children have seemed to grow geometrically! She loves every minute of it fortunately and I marvel at how she excels in this role. This is a role I failed to appreciate during my working years and certainly I also failed to understand how important and inevitable this role would continue to be. I can help in this role and I do have a greater role to play as Grand Pa – spending far more time with the grand children than I seemed to do with my children – another regret – if only I could do it over! However, there is not much I can do to reduce the burden of grand-motherhood. This means that even more effort is needed to do my share and more of the household chores.
Financial security! As far as retirement will permit security is another misconception. I naively believed that wages and pension plans were only at risk until you retired, thereafter life would be smooth sailing. Now that wages have disappeared, so has much of the protection against inflation – a long term fixed income presents problems! Secondly, the pension funds, which you hope to draw on for a long time, are even more at risk than before retirement. If you have SIPPS, you draw down a stream of earnings and, unfortunately, in a down market unless you reduce your draw immediately, there will be less and less funds to benefit from any recovery! If you just have a straight annuity (and that is just about the only alternative) the funding company is at risk – remember Equitable Life! This means that budgeting, planning and frequent reviews are even more important then ever before. One more unplanned thing to keep you busy!
Golf! Before retirement, I dreamed of becoming a club member with my partner. But eight years on, the golf clubs still gather dust. Knee injuries, bad weather and other priorities have all postponed the start of the hoped for life on the fairways. This year we vowed to play or sell the clubs. Well next year we will really do it or ……. Mañana!
Painting (or writing or … ) I thought I was going to need a lifetime hobby to cope with retired life. So after purchasing a ton of art supplies and a few lessons, the supplies are still neatly stored, awaiting the renaissance to begin. Happily, my music collection grows and is listened to with increasing delight. We also enjoy great movies, both new and classic, so lots of good viewing hours! Do I sound like a premature couch potato? Must get the paint stuff out! ……. Mañana!
One time things that need to be done:
- Put my father’s regimental history (he wrote it at the end of WWII) on to the PC so we can “publish” it for the family – well the first page was transcribed (2005)
- Copy my record albums to my PC – about 10% done and now reducing the long list remaining to include only those I believe we will ever listen to again. Sorry Kingston Trio!
- Copy all our home 8mm movies and VHS home videos to DVD – about 10% done – trouble is fifty hours of 8mm movies and as much again on VHS takes several hundred hours of effort – must find the time!
- And then we have my father’s old 8mm family films from the 50’s which are probably disintegrating as I type – surely these are historic artifacts!
Well, that was a rant! I know that I must be eternally grateful for being able to be busy – to afford to worry about my pension – to still expect to be able to play some golf – and to be loved and needed by our family.
Must finish now and start on some of these projects!
Sounds like you’re fishing for brownie points with your “partner”; hope it works
In the words of Forest Gump, Life is like a box of chocolates and you’re clearly on the bottom layer now. My advice would be to suck rather than chew, they last longer that way and don’t extract as many fillings in the process!
You are absolutely right, brownie points ought to come pouring in (I hadn’t thought of that, of course!) . The blog serves at least one purpose! No chocolates while I am on the perptual diet – otherwise no golf!
Nice site, very clean, lots of content and loved having a look.
love this, have just started visiting and started with this blog, very enjoyable, you have a great sense of humour, I’ll be back to read the rest – nightly
send me a jpg of a page of your father’s reg history, it may not take too long to transcribe, I kinda like doing that stuff
ps, don’t bank on the brownie points ;O] like your pension, they lose value over time
[...] military history. She very kindly offered to complete one of my unfinished tasks (my “Why are we so busy” blog), namely the transcription of my father’s old photocopy of his company’s [...]
Although I have only been retired for two years, I have gradually accumulated enough chores and tasks that I am running from one thing to another. It is wonderful not to have to spend 8 hours in the office every day.
I enjoyed your description of your busy days and all you have to do.