When it feels like…

When it feels like you’re close to retirement but not quite. When you start asking, “Am I going to get there? Will I make it past my live-to-work years when some friends didn’t?” Then you start living a senior’s life. Maybe just for practice. Or maybe just to experience it (in case you don’t get there). See how it feels… No kidding. A friend didn’t wake up to see another day. She hasn’t even reached retirement age.

And just what the heck is a senior’s life, you ask. First, you dress as you please, not a care as to what others say. Are these clothes still in fashion or not? Are these too old or still looking like new? “It’s very old, but who cares,” said a senior colleague after I complimented him on his genuine leather jacket. I like that attitude… You wear your sombrero to protect your eyes and face from UV rays. It’s never too late for skin cancer, you know that. And you finally use that chin strap because you can’t chase that hat as fast as you used to (or literally can’t afford to lose it). Chin strap? Not cool! Not ever cool! But, indeed, who cares about fashion and being cool? You’re not a teen, you say.

Secondly, you follow your health regimen more religiously. Not missing calcium or multivitamins. Not missing your osteoporosis meds or whatever maintenance drugs your favourite doctors have prescribed for your high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes (and for their kickbacks from pharmaceuticals). Not missing daily walks, yoga or Zumba. Fact: you haven’t saved for your dream motorized wheelchair when your bones finally gone a-missing like they’re a-dissolving sugar or salt.

Thirdly, you revisit your bucket list and cross out what’s not achievable in the next ten or twenty years. You’re being more practical as you age, you see. Now you look for alternatives. You can “visit” all these touristic places or off the beaten paths as an armchair tourist, in the comfort of your living room. Explore the world without worrying about plane tickets and hotels. Without shared viruses, jet lags, backaches or knee pains after. Without feeling guilty about your carbon footprint. Nature.org says it’s an average of 16 tons per person in the USA. Now you feel better contributing less to Mother Earth’s demise.    

Finally, you stop buying or collecting non-essentials. You know the pain of moving when the time comes for downsizing or senior care. Why give yourself or your loved ones (or friends) the pain of sorting through your menagerie – books, coins, foreign currencies, stamps, jewelry, kitchenware… When you finally go, maybe reward them with something useful like cars, yard equipment or tools instead? And don’t forget to write your last will and testament. Tell your trusted executor where you keep your cash if you don’t trust banks. Some bereaved families found cash everywhere in the house: in tea kettles, in pillows or mattresses, in couches! Too late if these have been donated to thrift shops or picked up by strangers for free! And what about a living will? What are your wishes for end-of-life care? Have these written down instead of having your family guessing your treatment preferences. Let them toss a coin to decide whether or not to keep you on life support? Head or tail?

You’ve lived a successful, independent life and have had everything planned out. (However you define “success”.) Now it’s time to enjoy another phase in life. And when you get there for real, enjoy new hobbies and friends. Everything new maybe. And a bit of old… Enjoy the discounts! Better yet, share your discounts if you don’t need them. Happy retirement! MLJ/05/09/2022/LabourDayAtEllistonLake