Like so many others I have to admit that I was just a little afraid when it came time to retire after 40 years of working in several jobs in and around my favourite home-town of Ponoka that I really loved and was so blessed by being able to rub shoulders with so many great people and colorful ‘characters’ along the way.
Would we have enough to do, will we get bored or grumpy, or will our wives or partners get tired of having us around the house 24-7? Not the case at all and here are just a few of the great day to day joys that all of us can share, together.
Retired together…for the best and all the rest
• Our week now has 7 days, and we try to keep track of our casual schedules with fridge notes, magnet calendars, and now on our handy-dandy does everything cell-phones. We can instantly relieve any sudden stress by having a nap, a low calorie snack, or a quiet trip into the country on our way to visit a sick friend in the hospital. We must always be sure to take a little ‘down time’ everyday when we can go for a long quiet stroll or snuggle up in our favourite warming chair in our ancient PJs and age-old blanket.
• Some us may now have his and hers TVs, medicine cabinets, bathrooms, golf-clubs, vehicles, closets, and quite often beds, but who cares, because we share everything when the need arises, including the day-to-day chores, and the special gifts of love and compromise that will hopefully continue to survive the test of time through several decades of the good times and the bad.
• Hopefully our grown children and their siblings have or will eventually bless us with grandchildren, who we can proceed to pamper and spoil with sweets and noisy gifts, but then, thank goodness we can hug them tight and send them home after babysitting for the long weekend! Those little angels can also be easily bribed to help us figure out our phones, computers, on-line banking, remotes, and those often rude GPSs.
• As we get older we may have a few aches and pains and walkers and canes, but who cares, because our doctor, our chiropractor, our dentist, our dietician, our fitness instructor and all the rest will keep us in shape, and should always be a priority on our ‘don’t miss appointments’ list, just under the phone numbers of our best friends and family.
• Some of us find it a little tougher to stay up past 10:00 p.m. on most nights, but then again we are usually up at 6:00 a.m. in order to get to the stores early to avoid the rush, and then we can do whatever we want for the rest of the day.
• After rolling over the 65 mark we do get senior’s discounts and a guaranteed pay cheque from the government every month, but I do believe that as well as the handicap parking there should also be ‘Seniors Only’ parking sections that are closer to the stores and have larger stalls that are easier to get in and out of.
• We can now take extended holidays, talk on the phone as long as we want, watch old movies over and over again, cry during the soap operas and sad flicks or fall asleep during boring shows without being embarrassed, and make sure to visit our favourite restaurants early to get the ‘seniors specials’ and avoid the crowds.
• We love hanging out and meeting old and new friends at garage sales, church teas, bake sales, sports games, school concerts, the coffee shop, and all the rest. We always strive to accomplish whatever we wish to do each and every day and try to enjoy our hobbies, but what we forget or don’t finish, it really doesn’t matter, because we will get to it another day.
Whatever stage of life we may have reached, we should always strive to look forward to the future, be kind to each other and to family and friends, and always set and happily pursue those yours and mine ‘bucket lists’ to fit your chosen pace and plans. Good luck, and have a great week, all of you.