Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Retirement is wasted on the old.



In the US by the time you can afford to retire you are too old or sick to enjoy it. If I were the king of the world or “The Decider” I would make the retirement age at 50
If you want to work until you die you should have that choice. Those of us that want to retire early and enjoy life, we should be able to do so and get all the benefits we worked so hard for and be able to do so while we are young and healthy to enjoy it.
If the company I work for were to offer me an early retirement package that included health insurance and a percentage of my current salary. I would sign on the dotted line and be out of my office before the ink was dry. Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate my job, I work for an International Airline the work is challenging but interesting, the pay is fair, the benefits are good and the people I work with are great.
But if the choice is between working long hours everyday, daily commutes of two hours or longer, getting home late and tired with no desire to do anything else but crash in the couch and only having two day a week for leisure activities, or the choice of having plenty of free time to do what you always wanted to do. I’ll take retirement every time.
Here is my top ten list of things I would do if I could retire today.
1 – Give more time to my Garden. The garden is like a child it needs your time, most of the time I feel like the parent that is too tired to go and play ball with his kid.
2 – Take cooking lessons. My wife is the cook in the family and a very good one, but every family should have more than one cook.
3 – Learn to play the guitar, this is my childhood dream.
4 – Take Astronomy classes. There are millions of stars out there and I don’t know the name of any them.
5 - Volunteer in my community, especially in our local schools.
6 – Run for public office, like the local community council and try to make a difference instead of complain all the time.
7 – Take up Yoga
8 – Take driving vacations in a Winnebago with no particular destination in mind.
9 – Expand my Bloging time.
10 – Read the hundreds of books I have purchased over the years in garage sales, and are in my library collecting dust.


What is growing in my Garden?
I don’t know the name of this plant, but is growing everywhere in my neighborhood. Every seed turns into a plant somewhere. The color is very striking and the round flowers give it a nice look in the garden. If any one out there know the name of the plant let me know.

2 comments:

Brenda Maas said...

That is a very pretty plant; but I don't know what it is.
Our thoughts on retirement echo yours; which is why we retired and moved to Mexico at an earlier age than most. We do not have a lot of money; but the enjoyment we are getting from life is more than worth it. I highly recommend early retirement.
Brenda

Tea said...

The little flowers look like baby`s breath...don`t know the Latin name. But the leaves look different. Really delicate and pretty though.
Oh to be able to retire at 50! Know how you feel about being too tired at the end of the day to do much. And two days a week break just is never long enough.
Reading.....I read 4 pages and fall asleep and I love to read so much.

Have a wonderful Christmas rusty!

tea
xo