Facing retirement in the horizon, my friends and I came into a discussion. What do we do? Even if some of us still have a decade ahead, the discussion to prepare has been catapulted to the fore.
“Why worry?” one said, “don’t you believe that the future will take care of itself?” Another quipped “But my net worth has not even reached ten million! And when we grow old there will be a lot to spend that for!” she added, brows anxiously meeting. Worry spread all over her face. Then my gay, happy friend sat with us fluttering his lashes at us in admonition “ladies, take one day at a time. Look, I have retired but I don’t worry every day. I just take one day at a time and enjoy each moment.” He settled in the sofa ala Cleopatra, “You see, the reality is we all need money but we don’t live for it! “
We all sat quiet. “We just have to have enough to fill the gap ‘til we die.” We felt crest fallen. His eyebrows raised, “you mean to say you don’t think you will die?” he laughed with that devilish tone ringing then dramatically bent over to smile at us. “You all look so sullen! Ladies all we have to do when we retire is to fill the gap between existing and living and meanwhile we LIVE! Have a life di ba? And that is precisely what should happen!” We agreed.
In the recent Martha Stewart talk we attended with Mandaue Chamber, Martha was asked how she keeps on and she said “never retire.” By that she meant we have to keep sharp, we have to be aware of our bodies and keep healthy and never end being creative, productive and aware of the changes around us. We have to keep up with technology and be abreast with what is happening. We should not “let go” of ourselves, like be sluggards and just laze around without a purpose. To retire is to have the time to do the things you want to do with all the time you have. It is to have moments to express your passions. It is something to be excited about. Retirement from work need not be the time only to begin building the fire to do something worthwhile. It can begin now.
I remember a story in the Bible where a man who was plowing his fields was asked, “what would you do if you were told you were to die tomorrow?” And he said “I will continue to plow the field.” And that is exactly what we must do.