Retirement and whats it been like for us "so far"

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Good afternoon to one and all,
Firstly thanks to all those who have read my blog today and to those who’ve put their feelings ref sunday on the forum,
As always its nice to talk and share our thoughts
After all life is a university even if you didnt know it,
We’re learning all through our lives and when we ‘ve done with learning it’s “life over time”
No gap years for most of us,

But as far as being retired!!! Well for me it’s just a case of using the most important thing we all have rich or poor and thats “TIME”

Yes ive put the word in capitals because it’s something we’ve all got and i feel it should be used to the most advantage in life and not wasted,

Years ago when i was working I came into contact with a very weathly lady and her husband,
They lived in a hall in wales and the estate had 95 acre’s
Ive always been just myself, ive never tried to put on an act and when i met this Lady it was while i was about to leave the esso garage having just filled my then van with fuel,
The lady asked if i did work for the larger homes and i said yes, hence over the years we not only became customer and service provider but really good friends.

We shared so many laughs (at life and each other) but this lady gave me so much advise in all sorts of ways and subjects and one bit of advice was this,

You have two guarantee’s in this life,
(1) you we’re given life ie your born, your here,
And in most cases your healthy, everything works that should work,
And you’ve just had guarantee (1)

The second guarantee (2) is no matter who you are now,
how rich or poor you are one day your life will end,

The important thing is what you do inbetween (1) & (2)
guarantee’s, how you spend your life.

Being retired and having an interest away from how you earn your living is "to me " a big thing and gardening and animals go well together,
If i could take two words out of the dictionary (1) would be bored because i dont believe anyone needs to be entertained or cant find something to do thats worth while,
but you have to put the effort in other wise you’ll not feel you’ve got anywere.
(2) The word “Sorry” its the one word everyone knows and its used for the sake of saying rather than meaning it.
As i got near to the time in life i wanted to retire i asked many friends i’d made over the years who had already retired what was their thoughts on the subject!!!!!

Almost all of them said the same thing,
“IE I dont know how i found the time to go to work”.
All those who said that all had a life after work, all did something other than work, All had cut their cloth in life to fit their new life as a retired person.

The few who said and used that word “Bord” we’re the ones who needed to be entertained, who now had time on their hands and found the days long.

Time is important to us all and using the time we have
once retired is a big big bonus just waiting to be used.

The Lady ive talked about said to me once,
We’ve all become our own worst enemy when it comes to an easy life, ie people drive along the same road daily, but if you walked or cycled that same road for a week, you’d notice things you’d never noticed before because you flashed past,
You didn’t take the time to say Hello, you didnt ask the question ’do you provide a service to larger homes?
As she did to me that day many years ago.

When i was in the Army i spent some time in Sandhurst
(The officers training academy) and every friday on my way back to Aldershot (my barracks) I would go to a cake & pie shop to buy a particular meat pie I came to enjoy,
I’d always see this old lady who looked like she needed an “MOT” or her coat did anyway as it looked caked in oil and muck, but i knew she had a heart of gold because she had an old silver cross pram "inside the pram we’re little dogs and tied all around the pram (And im talking about 6 or 7) dogs,
Her Name was “Camberley kate” (so the girls in the cake shop called her)
I’d always put my spare change in kates collecting tin she’d carry and she’s insist i had a paper badge to say i helped feed the RSPCA. dogs she was collecting forand she’d introduce me to all the dogs name and all,
She’d be in that shops square every friday no matter the weather.

What a woman, what a person, what an interest in life she had.
Her reward!! what was it?
Wagging tails & the feeling ive given these my time.
Im sure she didnt use those words boring or sorry every second breath, No she just got on with what she believed was right.

As for my own thoughts on retirement!!!!!

I dont know we’re i found the time to work.
Have a nice day folks.

• 9 Feb, 2014
• 3 likes

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