Friday, August 16, 2013

Re-tired



August 16, 2013

What is an appropriate gift for a retirement celebration? Wine, flowers, golf shoes, gardening knee pads, sweat pants with an elastic waistband, trilogy in a nice wooden box, shot glasses to accompany and a bottle of tequila. Hard to say.

Years ago, my daughter asked what grandpa does all day, since he no longer has to go into the office. He actually learned how to turn out a wooden bowl, cane the diningroom chairs, plant and fuss in the yard, volunteers with the Democrats in his county, goes to work-out at the gym daily, or rides his bike down the long country roads, fishes occasionally, or takes the canoe out for a spin.

There are plenty of couples having a meal together, or reading the paper over a cup of coffee at Dunn Brothers, scavenging at garage sales, augmenting heart-rates on morning walks, selecting pastries at ShopKo and taking long drives in their Toyota Prius.

A selected few of my friends are what we used to consider retirement age-65ish and still employed. They plan on being “at it” until at least 70. If the world were perfect, the retirement age would be decreasing, as to enjoy our golden years, sans a paycheck, less taxes, and soon enough, health insurance deductibles. Good thing we can depend upon Social Security in our old age. 

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