Retirement - that magic word! For me it conjures up thoughts of pottering in the garden growing my own veg, revisiting my art, writing that novel I've half planned, taking up dance classes, and all those other things I just don't have time for at the moment.
But it also holds the promise of being able to leave behind all the things I feel trapped into at present like being a local town councillor, flopping onto the sofa at 8pm every evening when the chores are finally finished after a long day at work, and chasing the weekends like they are the end of the rainbow.
John and I have been talking about retirement for a while now. His plan has always been to retire at 55, but it is now approaching quite quickly. He has been working for Jaguar Landrover since he was an 18 year old apprentice - a whopping 37 years! About a year ago I set him up a countdown app on his phone, sliding down towards the day of his 55th birthday.
I secretly think John will get cold feet and panic as THE DAY gets closer. He often says that he has worked hard his whole life, with no career breaks, and is ready for a change. Working hard is all about perspective, and I not-so-secretly, and often, share my views on his Teams-based work schedule. He is quite envious of my previous maternity leave, although the mind boggles as to why! Times have changed and men now get two weeks off for a new baby, where John got two days to support me and each of our sproglets. (He's not bitter ... much.)
The unbelievable upside to his retirement is that I can also retire at the same time. And I am going to be only 45. Whether this is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen, but I like the idea of it very much right now, viewed from my office chair in a busy work space where I work hard (like, properly hard!) and enjoy the company of my colleagues very much, but am totally wiped out by the end of each day.
The big plan for our retirement is to move out of our boring box that we bought as a new build 20 years ago, and find ourselves a haven in the countryside with a stunning view, maybe of some water, that will change with the weather whether it is sunny, stormy or misty, and provide us with a refuge where we can rediscover peace and tranquility and why we still love each other after 25 years and 2 kids and various other thrills and traumas.
My plan is to share with you the journey, the thought processes, the worries, the excitement and the discoveries of what it REALLY means to retire, leave behind everything you've known for 20 years and try and settle in a new place and a new community, as we go through the process.
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