RETIRED
It may well be that you are a retired person without knowing you have made it to that much yearned for pinnacle of American work-think reasoning.
You may be in the position of the tramp, bum, hobo, vagrant, or just incorrigible work-shy individual who used to be in old minstrel show skits as well as vaudeville sketches, and burlesque routines. He had a concocted reason for his permanent state of unemployment which made sense - not good sense, unnecessarily, but seemed to be accurate enough to make one think about retirement years ahead. We all had strong feelings about the task we faced year of working well and loyally for an employer, then being "turned out to pasture". In the skit years ago, the conventional man
delivered a fine lecture pointing out to the non-working man that by working hard he could look forward to a blessed time when he could stop working and do absolutely nothing what-so-ever!
The major enjoyment we used to get from such minstrel performances, burlesque shows and variety theater pieces was based on the acknowledged fact that all plot twists, gags and action was to be telegraphed to the members of the audience just a tense moment before that action took place on the stage. Because we were quick enough to "see it coming" we enjoyed it all the more. As expected the tramp, hobo, bum, idler would look at the speaker and with a puzzled twang in his voice say exactly the words we expected him to say:
"But, boss, that's exactly what I'm doing now!"
We can learn several worthy points about retirement from this character.
Initially, you give up any notions you may have developed which predict retirement to be a time of extended leisure. Far from it. Most retired persons find it difficult to find enough time to try to do even a few of those things they have always dreamed of doing if they ever had the time... like hang-gliding, sky-diving or snorkeling the length of the Great Barrier Reef.
Second point. Don't get too cozy with the idea that you have some sort of right or special permit which qualifies you to take it easy-easy. If your general physical health is good - not exceptional one way or another - and, mentally, if your elevator still goes all the way to the top floor when you think - you are subject to whatever folks around you seem think they know what a retiree ought to be doing with all that extra time.
"I'll be my own boss." Ha!
A.L.M. March 31, 2006 [c445wds]
