I just keep imagining how those days would be. I don't know if I am the only one thinking about this.
Life is indeed mysterious. You start from childhood, then to adulthood, and to old age, which is not so much different from childhood.
Many are scared of old age because it is another period of vulnerability. At that point, one won't have the strength to work the way he or she did when he or she was a youth.
Beauty would fade, sometimes, friends would be scarce, and the old person would just be there, having probably just his family to look after him or her. Sometimes, I wonder how they manage to handle boredom.
At that point, one must have experienced so many things in life. Some probably lived on money and ordered things around when they were in their youth, but now, they can't do those things anymore; life becomes something different entirely.
This is also the time when money becomes a problem for many as old age comes with retirement from work.
Probably, it's just a pension that would be coming in at that point, and sometimes, the pension isn't even up to half of what one used to earn when he/she was in service, and that can be a serious problem for the individual.
I have seen many people retire from service, and their lives become miserable. Instead of being happy and enjoying a free life, they are depressed and wondering how their remaining days would be before they go the way of the earth.
People would be in money, honor, health, and glory during service, but as soon as they retire, their lives become another story completely.
It's something very disturbing; this kind of incident has drawn the attention of many to planning for retirement.
Those who carefully plan end up living in glory even when they retire, but those who ignore it end up becoming victims of circumstances.
I am not working with any stable organization yet, but currently, if I were to retire from work, I don't think life would be easy for me.
I currently haven't planned anything. I must confess, I am not prepared. Even if there would be pension coming in, how am I going to survive on a pension alone?
I know how my country is; one needs as many reliable sources of income to be able to survive and live a nice life.
If a pension is all I have, then I bet I would be in trouble. And considering my age, I still have time and strength to work, so I might end up picking another job.
However, if it's an order and a must that I just enjoy my pension and not do any work again. I will accept my fate and move on.
In truth, it is not going to be easy because it came unexpectedly, and I am still young. If I were of age, I would have said before that time, I should have been planning for it, but since it is happening this way now, I have to look for a way to make my life fun and better, even as I enjoy the days of inactivity, and to achieve that, I will do the following things;
1 . I will get married: I am single, I need someone to be with, a life partner with whom I can spend my life.
Although I am young, I know there are days I'll need someone to lean on, talk to, and need support from. Sometimes, that person can only be your spouse.
There are friends and family, but there are things you won't feel comfortable discussing with them, like with your partner.
2 . I'll go into agriculture, I will build a small poultry farm, and rear animals according to my strength.
It will be one of the things I'll be doing since work is no longer available. With time, if it prospers, I'll expand the farm and invest in other businesses.
With the farm, I know money would be coming in, and I would not need to be worried about money to settle my bill and other needs.
3 . I will make time to hang out with my family, my siblings, parents, and friends. This is retirement, it is not the time to shy away from people, but to rest from work and enjoy the company of our loved ones. I will ensure that I stay close to my loved ones and create beautiful memories with them.
4 . I will build a more solid relationship with God, since it is rest time. I will give more time to serving God, going to fellowship, visiting the weak and encouraging them in any way I can, and I'll join organizations that reach out to the less privileged.
Retirement is not supposed to be something that brings misery. It's another phase of life that ought to add more meaning and beauty to our lives.
It's not supposed to be lived in pain and sorrow; it is supposed to be days of happiness, joy, and gratitude.
And the fact that one is retiring doesn't mean you are done, no! You only stopped office work, it's time to give more time to chasing purpose and adding meaning to the lives of people around you.
It doesn't matter whether you have much or little, it doesn't even matter whether you are well-prepared for retirement or not before it comes; you can still live happily and enjoy your retirement. You only need to make the right decisions.
Nevertheless, I am not advising anyone not to plan for retirement; it is very important. Without plans, we would be stranded, and even if things are supposed to be in our favour, we might end up messing it up because there is no clear blueprint to follow.
N.B: All Images Were Generated By Gemini AI