We don’t work anymore. We’ve been put out to pasture, you could say.
We are no longer active participants in the game. Our many years of toil are over and done. But we are still here.
We are on the outside looking in at the world we helped create. We each in our own way did our bit to put pieces of this world’s endless puzzle together. Holding them in place, we made the whole system run. And it ran for all these many years.
But in reality, we ourselves decided to curtail our lifelong endeavor in the work a day world.
After all this time we figure we deserve some rest and reward for a lifetime of hard work, struggling for survival and being reliable, productive taxpayers.
Social security, pensions and other retirement benefits kick in at age 62 and even more so at age 65.
Why should we continue to fight and struggle for the mighty dollar on a daily basis when we can sit back, relax and enjoy the fruits of our labor?
Why not hang up our spurs, lean back on the rocking chair and let the young uns take over?
Our golden years have finally arrived!
This all worked out quite well for a while. We got a chance to take it easy, unwind and catch up on some of the things we could have, should have, and would have done if we only had the time.
But now we have time in great abundance. We have time to think, read, correspond with family, and time to recall our many treasured moments.
We have time for shopping, grandkids, pastimes and having coffee with the neighbors.
We catch up on our sleep, we enjoy more travel and visiting with our friends. Still, we have more time than we know what to do with. And more keeps coming each new day.
We somehow feel a tinge of guilt deep inside for wasting so much time and for no longer being productive members of society.
We occasionally see an elderly man or woman still working in a hotel or department store. We wonder if they need to continue their work in the system to make ends meet or if they really just want to keep on going.
At times we notice cognitive decline among our friends at church and at social gatherings such as the senior center.
This makes us concerned about our own occasional lapse of memory, recalling names, dates and details of past events. We worry whether it is normal aging or are we slipping away?
Once in a while we also notice how elderly personalities on TV, politics and fields of entertainment are still sharp and very much in tune with the modern world. They do not at all seem anything like us old retired folks.
Our senior friends are very concerned about doctor’s appointments, their aches, pains, medications and their deteriorating physical conditions. You can sense their fear and anxiety especially after another dear old trooper has passed away.
Sometimes it seems to me that old, lonely, lonesome and blue are four words that may sum up the lives of so many seniors.
But on the bright side, you have enough income to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. You try to keep active and stay in touch with friends and family. The time you spend and share with grandkids brings you great joy.
You catch a brief glimpse of your long-lost childhood in their bright shining eyes and in the ring of their laughter.
But then you look at the daily news and global events and you wonder how the world has gone so far off the rails and gotten so crazy. You are thankful in a way to be old, retired and removed from the chaotic world out there.
You wonder how today’s young adults with jobs, kids, mortgage and car payments can survive and manage in this world of ours.
Old is a scary three letter word. You don’t really feel old, antiquated and on your way out. You’re still strong, healthy and active. Your doctor and friends tell you so. But you yourself say the same to other old geezers. I guess we all want to hear such flattering affirmations.
You notice how little things stand out to you now that you did not seem to notice before. Smiles from passersby, and gestures of courtesy and kindness are such a pleasure to still occasionally see.
How the morning sunlight lights the vivid green trees lining your street and the way the gentle breeze caresses your face; you find so special. And there are those white fluffy clouds that float across the baby blue sky.
You feel good to be alive, still, after all this time. It’s good to experience living life all around you. You appreciate all the beauty of nature more so now.
When you try to convey this to your fellow seniors they seem so absorbed in local events, happenings and trivia.
“Did you hear Jodi is in the hospital? I have a clinic appointment tomorrow and physical therapy Wednesday. My new meds are not doing any good”
But you catch a glimmer of kindness when you look into their ancient eyes. You feel a deep kinship and understanding for a fellow traveler who has trudged many a mile and is still plodding along.
You nod, smile and express a simple friendly gesture of affection. It’s accepted and immediately returned in a loving smile.
You have gotten through. You have touched the heart of an ancient, noble fellow traveler.
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