Who’s retiring?                      

It seems as Ive aged that everyone around me is aging too. And I look at my friends and think, is that me? Getting close to retirement like them? Do I look old already? Several have asked me when you are going to retire.  Um, not on my radar, I say.. Except my sister, who plans to work till she drops. Or get lifelong health insurance, whichever comes first.

Typical Europeans say “You Americans, don’t you work enough? Why do you wait till your life is almost over to retire and enjoy yourselves?

Um, the cost of living?

Ours is way above most places in the world. It’s expensive to be an American. Ive spoken to many folks around the world, and the few that came to the US to work often could never believe our schedules. “You’re at work 9 hours a day, so you can take an hour lunch? We are at work 8 hours, but take an hour or more for lunch . My response? So, um, technically, you only work 6 and half hours?  That’s nothing. This is why we are a superpower. That’s not productive by American standards. No wonder that’s when most of them finish their gig here, then go back. They cant handle our work hours..

Well, life is more important, they would say.  Family and friends are first. Americans want that too, but after we work 50 or more hours a week there is little time for family.  Just dinner and bed.

Until we retire. If we can retire that is.

Unfortunately, by then we are arthritic, have age-related issues like cataracts, poor depth perception,  lost half our muscle mass, and fear falling and breaking a hip.  Woe is us.

Working for over 50 years has worn us out, since we all started in our teens and now we all want to be home before dark and go to bed by nine.

For us Americans, I think it should be called WEtiring not REtiring. Seems more appropriate.

Time to retire?

I was asked the other day when I’m retiring. “ I’m on the sister plan”. What’s that? Work till I’m 80 and avoid paying Medicare till the last minute.

Are you crazy, they say? Well, maybe since I have all the health problems that affect older people since I was 30. Ive been arthritic for 30 years, survived cancer 13 years ago and have lost most of the glands in my eyes, causing chronic red eyes that look like Frankenstein, and I frequently pee on myself. And the rest we won’t talk about.

My body is ageing way faster than the rest of me. My sister is healthier than me. And she is in her late 70s. Life is not fair. Should I retire? My body thinks so, but I don’t.

My sister will outlast most people trying to work till their late 70s.  Could I work that long? I know that is nearly impossible. At least working can help keep the brain going,  makes you know the day of the week, and reminds you that you belong to something. When you retire, it can be lonely, make you fat, and slow the brain down if you don’t stay on top of your health and stay social.  What day is it again? Oh yea tomorrow is Monday, because I got to go to work. See it works.

When I went to Spain and did the language auxiliary thing, I worked 5 hrs a day 3 days a week. Then traveled around Europe on my 4 days off. It was ideal. Just enough work to stay active, enough time to travel  and time to take naps at siesta time. Not a bad existence.

So working part-time would be my panacea, especially since I don’t have enough money yet to retire unless I move to another country. A cheaper country. I have a friend who just moved to Ireland. She’s younger than me, but her hubby has a pension and could retire in his 50s. Ireland is expensive. Housing is just as much as the US. And housing is tough to find. But food and having Guinness is much cheaper. People are friendly, and everyone speaks English. A big plus. Living in Spain, that was a major issue. It created loneliness. If you can’t communicate its isolating. And living in an English expat bubble is not my desire.

So who wants to retire? What does it mean to you? As Americans, we see it as a sudden time to do all the things we never have time for like traveling. But the key is can you afford to do those things in retirement? That is what can make retirement good or not so good.   And being alone, I have no significant other to help pay the bills. I don’t own my house like all my retired and soon-to-be-retired friends. I have rent, forever,  that’s expensive.

Living in Spain was a good test. Working part-time funded my rent and utilities. So, I spent $1200 month for other things like traveling, which was so much cheaper than from the US. But here, after the rent of $1400 a month and car payment its nothing. Not enough to pay for groceries, gas, car etc., so what’s a mother to do? Work. Wait, win the lottery, meet a rich man with one foot in the grave and no family?  oh the lucky ones. With my luck ide find a well-dressed poor slob that wants a nurse with a purse. It’s not looking good for me to ever get even a partial free ride to retirement. I’m still paying for a past life of some big wrong.  It has to be. Im being punished and not in a good way.

So are you retiring? Or will you ever?  What is your plan?

Somewhere in Texas

Wishing for a piece of good luck