I’ll bet we all remember how, starting from an early age, we were told by our parents, grandparents, or even older siblings, “When you start school, you’ll learn your 3 R’s.” The 3 R’s, of course, are Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. And we couldn’t wait. We progressed through grade school, junior high, and high school. Most of us became proficient enough at our 3 R’s to earn the required credits to graduate. Some of us went on to colleges/universities to further our education. Some opted for even further education, possibly earning a master’s degree or higher, maybe a Ph.D. And still, during all this time, most of us still hadn’t had a word mentioned about the fourth “R”…Retirement!
Our parents never brought up the 4th R because, after all, while we were living at home, they were only in their late 30’s or maybe early 40’s (old by our standards, but not theirs!) There was still plenty of time to plan (or worry) about that subject “retirement.” Retirement…the word wasn’t even in our vocabulary. Perhaps granddad and grandmother were beginning to think about “retirement,” but what the heck? We figured they were ancient; they were in their late 50’s to mid 60’s. We figured we’d never be that old…not in a million years!
Well…Hellooooooo! Guess what? We’re here! And how many of us are prepared? Not only financially but, mentally? Emotionally? Physically? With all the information bombarding us and because we’ve grown to maturity in the “high-tech” era, one would hope that we realized the importance of financial planning for our “retirement” earlier in our lives than our parents or grandparents did. We should also ask ourselves whether we are ready mentally, emotionally, and physically. Have we prepared ourselves in these equally important areas?
Mentally. Are we happy with where we are in our life but also with who we are? We can’t all be successful doctors, lawyers, famous actors, or great athletes. But we can all be satisfied with where we are in life. Possibly it isn’t the way we thought things would turn out; if we could go back to graduation night and start over from there, maybe things would be different. But we can’t. Through choices we’ve made (good and bad ones), we’ve ended up at this particular station in life. The clock is ticking—and ticking faster each passing year. Why waste time and energy just wishing things were different. We can’t change the past; we can only look to the future. So, be happy. Accept where you are. Move on.
Emotionally. I personally believe that the most important person we can have in our life is our spouse or significant other (and lord knows, most of us have made one or two bad choices along the way in that department!) We all need someone to share with, to laugh with, to care for, to care for us. We need someone who is our best friend. With this person by your side, you look forward to each an every day because life can be so much fun and so goooood.
Physically. Are we prepared? Have we taken care of ourselves? Have we abused our bodies?
Have we taken advantage of doctors, modern medicine? Have we exercised in the past? Do we exercise now? Do we have a hobby we enjoy? In this day and age, many of us can expect to live into our late 70’s, 80’s, even our 90’s and beyond. That is, if we take care of ourselves, or, if our significant other takes care of us. My wife, Meggin, firmly believes that she is responsible for my still being alive. She accompanies me to the doctor only to make sure she gets the full report. Not the report I want her to have. She makes sure I take my prescribed medicines. And she dispenses my vitamins each morning. I truly think she wants to keep me around as long as possible. And that suits me fine…the longer the better.
The 60th Birthday Bash in July 2001 was great. It was wonderful to see old friends and to renew past friendships. I want all of us to be around for our 50th reunion in 2009. Most of us will have celebrated our 68th birthday by then. Until then, take care of yourselves and the ones who help take care of you.
