By Henrylito D. Tacio
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” – Sophia Loren, Italian actress
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“I am closing my 52 years of military service,” said General Douglas MacArthur before a joint session of the U.S. Congress when he retired. “When I joined the army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all my boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most barracks ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye,” he added.
“Retirement has been a discovery of beauty for me,” admitted Hartman Jule. “I never had the time before to notice the beauty of my grandkids, my wife, the tree outside my very own front door. And the beauty of time itself.”
To some people, retirement is like returning from work one day and telling your wife, “I’m home forever.” As Gene Perret puts it: “When you retire, you switch bosses – from the one who hired you to the one who married you.”
That’s true, indeed. Here’s another funny truth: “When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance; his colleagues generally present him with a watch.” That’s according to R.C. Sherriff.
Life, someone once declared, begins at retirement. Another thought of it as the “world’s longest coffee break.” But American author Ernest Hemingway considered retirement as “the ugliest word in the language.” He did not elaborate why but I think Malcolm Forbes provided the answer: “Retirement kills more people than hard work ever did.”
“Don’t simply retire from something; have something to retire to,” Harry Emerson Fosdick advised. That’s right. Robert Frost wrote famous poems when he turned 80. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright did his best work at 86.
“Age is only a number, a cipher for the records.A man can’t retire from his experience. He must use it,” Bernard Baruch pointed out.
Hollywood actress Katharine Hepburn was 74 when she won her fourth Oscar for her tour de force performance in On Golden Pond. On the other hand, her leading man, HenryFonda, was 76 when he got his first and only Academy Award.
Following retirement, what follows? Death. Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, accumulated wealth through the production and sale of destructive weapons. One morning in 1888, he awoke to find his own obituary published in a newspaper. (In reality, it was his brother who had passed away, but a journalist erroneously reported Alfred’s obituary.)
For the first time, he perceived himself through the eyes of the world: “the dynamite king” and nothing beyond that. His endeavors to dismantle barriers between individuals and ideas were never acknowledged. He was merely regarded as a merchant of death, and that is how he would be remembered.
Alfred was appalled by this notion. He resolved that the world would recognize the true significance of his existence. Consequently, he drafted his last will and testament, dedicating his wealth to create what is perhaps the most esteemed accolade: the Nobel Prize.
Life is fleeting, and before you realize it, you will have to say farewell to everyone – regardless of your preparedness. Therefore, when you are no longer present in this world, what will people recall about you? Will they remember the good deeds you accomplished during your life, or will they focus on the negative traits you exhibited along the way?
A poem written by Michael Josephson is a good reminder for all of us – whether you are facing retirement or still young (forearmed, after all, is forewarned). Read it slowly and digest the thought:
“Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
”So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
“What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
“What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone. What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.”
If you are soon to retire or already retired, how will you spend the rest of your life? Here are some excellent ways to utilize your time during retirement:
1. Establish a new daily routine
Adhere to a schedule. Organize your week to include designated times for physical activity, hobbies, and social interactions. Create a “paycheck.” Arrange for automatic transfers from your savings account to your checking account, ensuring you receive funds similarly to when you were employed.
2. Learn and discover
Experiment with new hobbies. Engage in painting, learn to play a musical instrument, study a foreign language, or master new culinary skills. Travel. Take advantage of your free time to visit new destinations or discover beautiful locations in your vicinity.
3. Prioritize your well-being
Maintain an active lifestyle. Take daily walks, consider swimming, or participate in a gentle exercise class to keep your body fit. Stimulate your mind. Read literature, solve puzzles, or enroll in an online course to enhance your cognitive abilities.
4. Foster connections with others
Volunteer your time to assist local charities, educational institutions, or animal shelters. Spend quality time with family, reconnect with friends, or join a community club to meet new individuals.
5. Assess your budget
Ensure that your finances are allocated to the aspects of lifethat are most important to you. Implement the “bucket” strategy: Maintain 1 to 2 years’ worth of living expenses in a secure bank account, while investing the remainder for long-term growth.
To end this column, allow me to quote the words of Will Rogers: “Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.”
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