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"Guest-blogger Judith Whitehead lives in Amherst N.Y. and has worked in the
ophthalmology field of medicine for over 30 years..."
Today she talks about how retirement is much different these days. Enjoy! |
Is it Time to Retire..?
My husband and I are baby boomers and recently my husband turned the big 60; I am not far behind.
We have begun to use the ‘R’ word in our vocabulary these days and don’t see how that will ever happen
any time soon.
How things have changed from the days when our parents were that age. At 62 my dad was offered a
retirement package from the company he was connected to and on the road, for many years. He
reluctantly took them up on their offer and felt too young to throw in the towel. He tried a few other
jobs to keep his hand in the ring but succumbed to a life of leisure and travel with my mom. Luckily he
was fortunate enough to do that for he had scrimped and saved for many years.
Today our lives are much different; with the financial upheavals we have endured during our baby boomer years it will be many many years before any of us can retire. Now 60 years old has become the new 50 and we are destined to keep our jobs much longer; is it because our generation has chosen to help our children get off to a more secure start. Have we enabled them for too long?
I left home at 19 years old in order to marry and never looked back; returning home was not an option. Today many of our children ventured out into the world in their 20’s only to return to home base in their 30’s. Are our arms too wide open and welcoming to our children? We so want to help our children have fulfilling lives but is it at the expense of our own. Have we given of ourselves so much that we now are still sacrificing well into our seasoned years?
To live a comfortable life style these days, both partners must work and find a way to
save at the same time. I cannot believe how our lives have flown by marked with wonderful milestones.
Our parents did their sacrificing in their early years so as to enjoy their senior days. It seems we have
reversed this way of thinking; I think our generation has woken up and realized that life is so very short
and should be enjoyed sooner than later. True we need to save money for our later years but not at the
expense of enjoying the present. People at our age these days are much more health conscious and are
able to continue working well into our 60’s and 70’s. Seniors have a wealth of knowledge to offer any
employer that a youngster can only scratch the surface in understanding. They have proven to be much
more reliable workers and have plenty to offer any concern.
We will be seeing in the future, many more white haired workers in view of the direction our economy
has taken and retirement will be far off in the future for many as long as good health will hold out.
I for one have just begun to put together the next chapter of my career and what I will be doing it into
the next decade. I still find it exciting to be a productive member of the workforce and can still offer
much to many. If I can find a way to include travel and work together I will be truly fulfilled. Even the
baby boomers need to still live fulfilled lives giving back and contributing every day. Whether it is with
work, leisure activities or volunteering, the key to staying “young” at heart is activity. Rarely do we see
someone in their 60’s retiring these days; either they have little retirement to live off of or they still
want to contribute to the work force. Many times it is their health conditions that push them into an
early retirement. I for one am looking forward to starting the second half of my life and I can only hope
that I am able to fulfill my dreams enjoying good health.
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