RETIREMENT
Retirement is not the Utopian dream
Many workers think it is going to be.
Lack of something to do and somewhere to go
Is not freedom: It’s misery!
Many retirees realize too late
The benefits of work they enjoyed before.
The retirement many anticipate
Becomes an intolerable bore.
They miss the social connections,
The discussions of business goals and needs,
All the problems of difficult customers,
Their idiosyncracies and their misdeeds.
Discussions of weather, and politics,
Sports, hunting and fishing, vacations,
Families and friends and acquaintances,
The latest entertainment sensations.
Admittedly all work is not the same,
But most work provides useful things to do
And many social connections
That make life interesting for you.
Work gives you a sense of belonging,
Of being a contributing part of the world.
It gives you “social” security
And keeps you “in touch with” the world.
Work keeps you healthy, young and happy.
It puts off “Alzheimer’s” and depression
Through social connections, something to do,
Physical activity and mental stimulation.
(Summarized from “Reasons Not to Retire”
US News & World Report 6/12/06)
–Ward Hicken
