So why would retirement be making more people miserable*? It is supposed to be the reward for long years of having a good work ethic, that gives you the time and money to do what you really want. Yet many folks are choosing to stay on the job. Yet some people are axed ahead of their own schedule and have the experience similar to being shot out of cannon with no net. Others have eagerly awaited pursuing another venture after their regular work is done with the back up of retirement income.
Depending on the sanity of your last work situation wanting to stay or wanting to leave may be two different things. Financially there has been a decrease in non government workers having pensions ( 38% to 20%) so having money certainly has something to do with it. Women are working full time longer ( 20% of women over the age of 65). That may be because of reluctance to leave a ‘had to fight for it’ career. Then there is the divorce rate that is higher among the s than any previous generation.
All this and the hype from the marketing end of longevity economy comes at you with how wonderful living in their retirement communities is supposed to be. Fact or fiction? They keep raising the expectations about retirement. They are competing for your hard fought dollars and want you to think that Nirvana is right down the lane in that gated community. If you are not dancing in the moonlight and pursuing a half dozen hobbies, something is wrong.
There will always be differences between us, the individual grains of sand that is our generation. You may really want to work and can’t because of that steel gray wall called age discrimination. Older workers make more money as a whole so they can legally be let go on the basis of profit and find themselves cut short. Getting just any job is sometimes the key to keeping afloat financially or staying busy. Work is a primary source of social connections and that never changes.
You have to connect the dots that make your day just that, your day. The absolute luxury of waking up basically when I want to and going to bed as late as I can or vice versa,is still sweet to me. The creative part of me finds it’s way out in the simple thoughts or ideas that sprout when there is quiet space on my time.
After more than a year of retirement, being able to stop the full time grind of performing someone’s idea of what I should be doing, is a gift every day. I am no longer letting that job eat my soul, I am feeding it with my own ideas.
You can build a rich life in retirement with out a massive retirement fund or grand plans. It is worthy of you because it is your decision or direction to fill in the time slots of your life.
*http://www..com/en-us/money/retirement/retirement-is-making-people-more-miserable-than-ever-before/ar-AAhNNSI?ocid=spartandhp
