Freedom 55
Time to retire, already?
I will be turning 55 at the end of this year, and it seems weird. Perhaps it is because I grew up in the generation that was fraught with those Freedom 55 commercials. Do you remember them? Where everyone looked happy and relaxed, enjoying their early retirement, because they had done such a good job of investing their money. Ya, right. Stupid commercials.
Well, here I am, almost 55 and no end in sight for retirement. Don’t get me wrong, 55 is super young these days given our extended lifespans. I honestly do not think we should be retiring at this age anyway. Not in the traditional sense of the term, that is. You know, the old “don’t work another day, play golf, join a bridge club, find a hobby…” That traditional meaning. Fifty-five is definitely too young for that type of retirement these days. I wrote a post called “Retire Retirement?” back in 2014 about this very issue. We are younger, healthier, and have more to contribute now at this age than at any time prior.
So why am I so unhappy that I can’t? I clearly remember a conversation with a client many years ago who was “fortunate” enough to take early retirement. He confided in me that it was the worst decision that he ever made. Cognitively, he had noticed his own decline over the years (he was about 72 when I was counselling him). He also shared with me that he was lonely, and that he missed the social aspect of working and connecting with his peers on a daily basis. If he could have a do-over, he would have kept working.
Whether we should or shouldn’t aside, I apparently did not pay attention to those commercials and invest wisely either. I am self-employed, and a risk taker. I win some, and I lose some. I am also a world wanderer, investing in my education of other countries and cultures. Nope, no magic savings plan happened. Couple that with the very high cost of living just to live in a desirable part of the country, retirement is definitely not an option for me anyway. Maybe I am a little mad at myself for living in the moment, and not for the future? Perhaps that is part of my angst. I can’t really say that I have any regrets, though. My experiences have been truly amazing.
My best guess at my own malaise is that I am tired. It is true that even though I am not old, the aging process is happening, and I don’t have quite the same amount of energy that I used to. Being an overachiever, I have kept a pace that would have been unrealistic for anyone to sustain over the decades. However, there is more. There is grief, and significant loss. These have definitely taken a toll on me.
If you have been a follower of my blog, you will know that I lost someone very important to me almost a year and a half ago. I have not recovered, although I do not cry every day like I did. [Side note: thanks to daily tears, I have saved money and time as I left behind the small amount of make-up that I used to wear!] I am not the same person I used to be either. Grief stole some life from me, but it also gave me some new perspectives. It perhaps pushed me into an existential crisis of sorts. What is the point of being here? What matters? How do I want to spend my time? Who do I want to spend my time with? Grief has been a great reset for all of these important questions.
Although I may be tired, and starting to slow down on some of my projects and work load, I know I still have a lot to contribute. I’m not sure what that will look like, exactly, but I know if I am having this experience, others are too. This makes me glad for my writing, and my transparency. I believe we all have a lot to learn from one another.
Fuck Freedom 55. Stupid commercials.
