The Reality of Retirement

 

by Pa Rock

Shaky Senior Citizen

To all the young whippersnappers out there who think you will live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse:  good luck with that.  The chances are far greater that you will hang around a lot longer than you intended, put on weight, suffer through thinning hair and failing eyesight, and go through multiple life partners and all manner of social and physical indignities as you age.  

The reality of aging is that is that is a a long and drawn-out process that seems to fly by.   One day you are master of the universe going in six different directions at once as you storm through life, all the while planning and yearning for those golden days of peace and tranquility that will be your retirement - recreation, and travel, and fun in the sun, oh my!  And the very next day, almost literally, you are awash in unsolicited advertisements for Medicare supplements, Part-D prescription drug plans, and burial insurance.  As a retiree, much of your day involves appointments with medical providers and trips to the pharmacy, and much of that centers on sitting patiently while waiting to be served.  (Old people have nothing but time on their hands, so why rush to serve them?)

I saw two medical providers last week and this week I have already seen three - and it is only Tuesday.  I am headed to the pharmacy as soon as today's very late blog is posted, and on Thursday I have a doctor's appointment a hundred miles away that will involve nearly four hours on the road.  I have been to the local emergency room three times since June and to an "Urgent Care" once.

That is the reality of retirement.

If you are dreaming of a retirement on a beach somewhere sipping Pina coladas at sunset, just know that there is probably a snake waiting patiently to slither across the sand and bite you in the ass.

If it weren't for medical providers and pharmacists I would have almost no social life.  The secret to a good retirement is to find ones you like and will enjoy getting to know because they are going to be the people with whom you spend most of your time.