Retirement; boon or bane!

In April 2013 I wrote a blog on “Beyond Retirement” discussing how our life would take its course in post-retirement era. Some suggestions were given as to how it could be made healthier and “life full of life” before succumbing to the old age syndromes. Nevertheless, this take should be taken as an extension of previous write-up with a new dimension i.e. whether retirement comes handy and rewarding or keeps us devastated for the remainder life!

The other day my boss confided in me that if we were to retire now the perks of retirement would be enough to live a peaceful life provided we own a house, a car and we don’t have to pay regular children’s education fees. And of course our retired life is without any terminal disease. See! An ideal retired life is dependent on scores of ifs and buts. Though my superannuation age is still five years away but somehow it has started haunting me. I can’t explain why but just a thought of considering me a senior citizen, a dependent, gives shivers and looks daunting too.

Alhamdulillah, my career has been impeccable. There have been many an instances when people meeting the very first time greet me warmly and express their immense pleasure because of the reason that they have been hearing about my reputation in my absence since long. Once I was truly humbled on listening to a comment that I was a source of inspiration for the young lot and that they emulate my working style, efficiency and the quality of work I produce.

Moreover, when I asked a respectable retired senior colleague who is currently working in a private consultancy firm that whether I would be able to get a similar job like him when I retired from the job in 2020. Do you want me to arrange an appointment letter for you now, he enquired? It was a heartening comment I could ever hear.

So, why am I still worried? Prima facie the ticking needles of clock depress me all the time. They keep reminding me that I am on a brisk walk down the hill, and that, age is catching up fast. But the main disturbing reason is my unsettled life; over 30 years of job and I have not been able to own a house, still to go for Umrah or Hajj pilgrimage, get rid of loan installments that I’m paying for nearly 20 years on office loans I took one after the other to supplement my meager monthly salaries, to pay exorbitant educational fees of children, and even replacing the 20 year old car!

And it may also transpire at the time of retirement that I still need to pay for marriage expenses of my children in addition to the above! The experience gained from discussing to those retired people who underwent almost identical life speaks of harsh consequences. Most of the time the “commutation funds”, a lump sum handsome amount received on the day of retirement is spent instantly on purchase of residential plot or construction of house (if lucky to have owned a plot already) or it gets consumed in children’s marriages. The only boon left with them is the monthly pension that seems enough to run the kitchen expenses.

It may sound crazy of me to think about something that is going to happen after five years. You might be coming up with an advice for me that everything should be left to God and that He would create an easy path for me to live a peaceful retired life. Under ideal situations and circumstances it should be happening like that. It’s convincing as far as my faith is concerned and as long as prayers work but you know, I ponder a lot, thinking about everything, good to bad and the worst irrespective of what unfolds when the moment comes.

So, fingers crossed, let’s hope for the boon, but expect the bane too!