Retirement is not without Hassles: Preparation and Practice #8

Here’s a couple of poems that I wrote about six years ago and two years ago respectively, anticipating the next step in life – retirement.  It’s fun for me to look back on countdown stage to sixty-five, seeing these words of cautious optimism.  Well, here I am, at the finish line of the working years and the starting line of the retirement years.  Ready…set…go.

Retirement

Retirement coming,
Will the funds be there?
Or will we hear?
The cupboard is bare.

Something to look forward to,
Or something to dread?
Which will it be?
As I look ahead.

Is Social Security,
About to run out?
There certainly is,
A lot of doubt.

Invest and save,
For sixty-six years.
The market goes down,
And it all disappears.

The nest egg is broken,
Is the yoke on me?
The leaves have dried up.
On my money tree.

My Bucket list,
May have a hole.
Sunrise tomorrow,
Is my daily goal.

Those savvy investors,
Will travel at will.
But my only wish,
Is to never be ill.

Money in the bank,
Is one form of wealth.
But given a choice,
I’ll take good health.

Jobless hours,
To fill every day.
Volunteering to do,
Card games to play.

Sudoku, Crosswords,
Reading to do.
I might even try,
To learn something new.

It can’t be that hard,
To fill the time gap.
If you don’t have a hobby,
You just take a nap.

I’ll try retirement,
Until it’s all spent.
And then re-hirement,
May be the requirement.

Is it still retirement,
With part time work
When a former leader,
Is now just a clerk.

Where did the time go?
I’m sure I’ll say.
As exhaustion sets in,
At the end of each day.

Your daily to-dos,
Number only one.
And the day’s soon over,
But you’re only half done.

 

Then I wrote the next poem two years ago, as I continued to exercise mental preparation for retirement.  In the process of writing these, I was visualizing my days ahead and trying to make lists of all the things I would do when I had the time.

 

I’ve spent all my life,

Working for Friday.

Soon every day,

Will be a Saturday.

 

No more Monday’s,

No more Hump Days.

I’m about to enter,

The retirement phase.

 

I saved some money,

Have a company plan.

Will I spend my Saturday’s,

Working on my tan?

 

With any luck,

I’ll have enough.

So cutting back,

Won’t be too tough.

 

So how will I fill,

Each waking day?

Will I be lazy?

And just play.

 

I begin a new life,

Be the boss of me.

There’s a whole world,

Out there to see.

 

Maybe new hobbies?

Volunteer some hours?

More education?

Smell the flowers?

 

Watch more sports?

Write more silly rhyme?

Catch up on reading?

Lose track of time?

 

And I realize,

That there will be.

An occasional bad day,

Where I won’t be free.

 

Because the thing,

That I like alot.

Those good days working,

Can’t beat bad days not.

 

A perpetual weekend,

Or maybe the beginning?

As the years go by,

And my hair keeps thinning.

 

Health matters,

Appointments to keep.

And those concerns,

That won’t let me sleep.

 

But the fact remains,

There’s still a perk.

I won’t have to get up,

And go to work.