Falkirk
Writers' Circle

 

 

 

Forever Young

by Colin McNeil
 
Nov 2011

There are many milestones along life’s highway, and few with greater impact on the soul than retirement.
Before retirement, there can of course be many earlier reminders of our fragile mortality – death of our parents; our children coming of age; to name but two.

But whether at age 50, with a fulsome pension courtesy of a well insulated senior role in Business, or at a time nearer the state regulation age, that realisation of retirement brings with it a concept of finality, not encountered in other of life’s basket of emotional shocks.

Despite the Oxford Dictionary definition, which parallels retirement with the situation of “seclusion”, the human resolve must be to develop upbeat mood and be driven by the premise that retirement heralds a new beginning, as well as marking an end.

What I have observed in others – as they contemplated the approach of retirement - has been an almost obsessive need to fill the calendar with new exploits and pursuits, this almost certainly borne out of the trepidation of the boredom that would inevitably come with retirement, and the slow descent into inanimation. Contrastingly, consider the observations of the same retirees, after a year or so in that position, and they will wax of the total lack of spare time to do anything, and indeed how they cannot imagine how they ever coped with life when working, whilst also carrying out chores and rituals.

Unfortunately, a parallel characteristic, can be that most destructive of behaviours, namely cynicism. Whilst not confined to the retired population, it is wearing to note the oncoming of “grumpiness”, most often driven by a contempt for much that represents newness; a sneering approach based on “seen it all before” and in the extreme, an incredulousness of human goodness. 

Thus it is, that as retirement approaches there should be the resolve to learn from all that one has seen, achieved, endured, enjoyed, suffered and celebrated, so that retirement is a welcome place, with just enough but not too much contentment, balanced with the right measure of mental and physical exercise, relaxation, stimulation, laughter and love. 

But can the ultimate challenge which accompanies retirement be overcome – that inevitable realisation that you are really no longer contributing to society, but instead taking from it. Can the brain’s slowing and the mind’s slide into more soporific state, actually work in tandem with the huge asset acquired through the mass of life’s lessons and experience, which is available to be imparted upon those younger, or indeed to these employers who may see some benefit in hiring the over 60s.

Undoubtedly, with the right attitude of mind, the retirement years can be a wonderful stage in life, where, hopefully for most, the period will represent the fulfilment of life’s effort - a zenith not a nadir. 

Those approaching it require first the realisation that they are moving to a different place; that they avoid casually believing it’s just another phase of the journey i.e. life without paid work, into which they gently slide. Most critically, they should embrace the state of retirement with excitement and renewed vigour, and thus remain forever young.


Copyright ©2011 Colin McNeil. All rights reserved.