Retirement is it enjoyment or a curse ?

Retirement, sounds nice when we hear that word. But does it really that enjoyable ? the answer is we will only know it first hand when we come to that . Well I came to UK some 42 years ago as a young lad of 18+ barely with any experience of real life apart that of a typical young Asian teenager who was under the protection of the parents. When I left Sri Lanka my father was still in employment, retirement was a nice word for him as well.

Having completed my education found various employment in UK and finally got the one I really wanted and settled in that company. It was a large company a big if not the biggest in Europe in the number of employees it had. By the time I took my retirement I had worked approximately 27 years. I loved the company, I liked my colleagues above all I loved the job that I was doing. So then why I left the company and retired before time in cricketing terms I declared my innings before being all out. 

                                                    Well as in the modern times my company also fell victim to the notion that outsourcing is the answer to satisfy the shareholders . As a result the job that I loved which really kept me going despite me realizing how old I was , was taken away from me and got outsourced. Having been engaged in a high technical environment I was reduced to complete spread sheets a redeployment group. I must thank myself being employed in a firm among few who do not make the employees redundant forcefully. Anyhow at that point I started to contemplate about retirement and the attractive word that I liked to hear all these time now looming before me threatening to be real. Having had the benefit of the advice of  few other colleagues who chose to leave voluntarily some time ago, I also decided to take that path.

                                                  

                                                    Yes after having few lengthy discussions with my better half who also felt that the time is right for me to start walking in that direction I bravely took my EARLY RETIREMENT. How old was I ? few months after I had my 58th birthday. The big day come "Yahoo ....." finally I do not have to wake up everyday at the same time and follow the same routines. . . .  yes I can get up any time I want . . .  sleep anytime I want . . . .  my GP suggested  that I should not do 1) flop in a settee in front of the TV and become a couch potato 2) Sleep during the day time for long hours. He said " as long as keep your self busy all the time you will be OK" , well that is what I was doing when I was working ! wasn't I ? Well life is complicated there are no easy answers.

                                                      Nearly completing my third year of retirement how am I finding it ? am I enjoying it ? or do I think that it is a curse ? you are longing to know the answer I bet . To be quiet honest my answer is , in general I am enjoying it. But if I say that at times I regret it I would be lying. The first question I come across as soon as I say that I am retired is " How do you occupy your time, don't you get bored " well I am sorry to disappoint the answer is "no....no...no" .In fact it is reverse I barely find time to do the things that I want to do as there are always some urgent jobs needed doing around the house. Now that I am at home all the time the request and required list from my  wife does only increases does not seem to decrease ( is this what makes me regret I wonder . . . )

                                                        

                                                       What is so good in retirement life is that you are free to take any trips at any time. For example earlier this year we had a get together of our old college mates of the same year back from my school days and that was held in Toronto, Canada. As I am retired I did not have any issues of trying to organize my leave as this was a function that you would probably get one chance in your life time. Myself and my wife are very keen in travelling to different parts of the world and what else would give this opportunity other than the retirement life ? We are very keen gardeners and have a big garden. While I was working I will only get allotted time to do gardening and if the weather fouls the day then that work does not get done until I get another chance but now in retired life if it rains one day so what I can do it tomorrow... day after. .. .  and so on.

                                                           So I hear you asking , are you saying all is good in retirement life ? well please do not misunderstand me it is not what I am saying while we have a lot of positive things there are some drawbacks as well. While you work you get a regular sum of money that you will get each month which allows you to full fill your needs but once you retire even though you might get a regular pension your income reduces by a large sum which you should be able to compensate. In my case I was lucky my financial situation was such that I was able to withstand the reduction in my income and furthermore my wife is still employed.

                                                                 It is paramount that we should be able to divide the day into chunks in which we complete few important tasks and some tasks such as hobby that we enjoy. For me writing takes a big part of my time. I enjoy writing and as I retired while I am able to perform well physically it does make my retirement life that much enjoyable. I do lot of writing in Tamil and do some writing in my English blog. But my knowledge in Tamil is limited to my reading and listening to great scholars, writers and famous creators I have not had any formal qualification Tamil. Even though it is not a requirement to have this qualification to write as my writing is purely for my own satisfaction and not for any financial benefits. But I wanted to study Tamil in some depth and my retirement aided me in this thirst. I am glad to say that I am now in my third year of a BA Degree in Tamil Language that is conducted by correspondence from a University in Tamil Nadu. With a bit of luck I may be able to complete this BA next May and enroll myself in a MA course in Tamil. It did provide me a purpose and a direction for my retired life.

                                                                  

                                                                    Now that I have time I am able to entertain my friends who come from abroad and can spend some time with them. Which really enriches my life. To sum up  my  three years experience I summarize the retirement as " a combination of relaxation and activities not necessarily in that order but to be mixed in right quantities for each and individual". As long as we manage to tailor it to our needs I would definitely recommend retirement that is if you can financially afford it. Take each day on its own merit and enjoy everything about that day and when you go to sleep just reassess the events of that day and see how you feel . Do they give enjoyment or make you curse ?

After all we only live once why don't we live it the way we want

Sakthi Sakthithasan