STI: Different folks, different strokes

March 12, 2009

Different folks, different strokes

By Gloria Chandy 

 

You surely have had one of those days when, sluggishly dragging yourself out of bed, you think: 'Gosh, I wish I didn't have to go to work today.'

 

This happens more frequently if, like most baby boomers, you have been in the workforce for some decades. You feel jaded, think there's much more to life than the nine to five, and that you want to start to enjoy it. You dream of waking up when you wish, not at the command of an alarm clock, of lazing around and hanging out more with friends.

 

That seems like a great plan and I've dreamt about it many times. But then I also ask myself: After three or four months of sleeping in and hanging out, might I not feel a little bored?

 

I'm used to a busy schedule, of dressing for work, of having appointments and deadlines to meet, of the highs and lows of a working life.

 

If I take all that away, would I still feel the same sense of importance I feel now?

 

I am not suggesting that retirement diminishes a person or lessens his or her self-worth in any way. It's just that people have a different outlook on what the 'good life is', that is, different folks, different strokes.

 

Some slip into the role of grandparenthood easily and are content to dedicate their lives to raising their children's offspring.

 

However others, like me, need different diversions. I wouldn't mind babysitting occasionally when I do have grandchildren and am sure I'll dote on them, but I don't want that to be the overwhelming part of my life.

 

Am I being selfish? I don't think so. Save for emergencies, I don't think I should be planning my days to accommodate their needs. That's what their parents are for.

 

So what of life after retirement? Surely it should be more fulfilling than just sitting around comparing liver spots with other senior citizens. If you have good health, you can be mentally and physically active. And if you are active, it is likely to keep you in good health.

 

My game plan is to enjoy myself within my means but to keep my hand, at least in part, in a regular job for as long as I can manage it.

 

I'll need to. I so want to sit back and kick up my legs, but part of me just won't let that happen.

 

gloria@sph.com.sg