Aging

OK, so I am officially old. I find myself talking more to my peers about the subject of personal health. I said that I would never do this, but here I am at 64 years talking about this aching bone or muscle with friends. It is probably their fault, because I am sure that I would never bring up such a subject—not!

I am a Boomer. Each year more than 3.5 million Boomers turn 55. Their swelling numbers made America’s 50 and older population reach 100 million during 2012. According to the UN Population Division, 1 in 5 people are expected to be 65 or older by 2035. I don’t figure I will still be walking around and counted as one of the 1 in 5, so those stats don’t faze me very much. However, some of my children are reading this post and the point is this: what are y’all going to do with all those old people?

Many of our friends are either retiring or thinking about retiring soon. From my perspective retiring is not all that it is played up to be. I am sure that there are plenty of people who really enjoy retirement. They are probably those who were smart enough to frugally tuck financial resources away so that they could live very comfortably in their retirement. I enjoy doing things with some friends who are retired—I think they may be a bad influence on my work ethic because when I go somewhere with them they are not in as big a hurry as I am.

I listen to them talk about how they are enjoying their retirement, and I am very happy for them. But I am not sure that I want to retire.

I am not foolish enough to believe that I can work when my health is failing and I begin to lose my mind. But I just want to work as long as I am able to do so. I love to work. I love my job. I love going to work. I want to continue working until I die.

In a Labor Day speech to the New York Agricultural Association in 1903, Teddy Roosevelt said, “Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing; and this is a prize open to every man…”

I am very happy that my work is worth doing.

 “So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?” Ecclesiastes 3:22 NIV