Pretirement

So here I am, sixty four and said to be looking healthy for my age. I have an early teacher's pension, not much, but it is regular, and my state pension comes in June 2015, along with a small rise in my teacher's pension. Then the text message arrives from the supply teaching agency: am I looking for long term teaching work, reply if I am seeking it? I have not replied. Why? I have already told them that my resignation date is April. So why don't I grab a bit more money? Easy, it's about lifestyle. I am building a lifestyle that puts long term employed work behind me, a lifestyle that fits in with my feelings and self-awareness. Yes, I know that schools are becoming desperate for qualified Religious Education Teachers, but I do not feel up to taking the high pressure of the state school system any longer. Know thyself; and it is simply a matter of saying that I know when to stop. 

Pretirement means assessing where you are. You have to first consider your health and ability to take pressure. In my case my health is very good, but I feel less able to take high pressure situations of the kind that you find in school work. So that is stopping, but your self-awareness should show you what you can do, and there is so much that is possible. The key is to pace yourself. If you go with your natural pace you can work for ages. But if you over-pressure yourself, then you will feel it and be ill. 

Retreating to activities that you enjoy is very desirable, as it maintains your motivation, enabling you to continue for many a year. These kind of activities combine work and recreation, so you are working but replenishing yourself at the same time. Some can be voluntary activities. My father, who died in 2004, at 82, spent much of his retirement working for the Catholic Church as a Eucharistic minister, lay reader, charity worker and as an organizer for parish events. A blessed retirement in which he earned nothing to add to his pension, he was happy doing what he loved.

For me, the recreational activities are writing and gardening. I am on the allotment committee and we give help to inexperienced gardeners, particularly to the handicapped people who have taken up a half plot. I have some economically profitable interests, but they are activities that I find amenable, and I can do these for years to come, please God. 

There is a variety of activities to choose. Some people remain in economic work, going back to find an employer. Often this is on a daily, casual basis, or is part time. Some can handle a full time job in retirement age, but you must choose the job carefully. Amassing overtime may not be a good idea, as the extra pressure may not be beneficial for your health. Often workers find that they do less economic work as the years roll on. This can be due to the  fact that they have no  dependent children any longer and simply do not need the money or the stress of extra work beyond what need. 

Yet others start a new career entirely. A classic case of this was the famous mountain photographer Poucher, who retired at sixty as a chief perfumier at Yardley's, an elite cosmetics company, then spent thirty fit healthy years walking and photographing mountains. He in effect had two full careers. He was very physically fit. 

There are those who develop an interest and turn it into a full time occupation. I saw a case on television two or three years ago of a gentleman who was running a business producing pumpkins and squashes in his nineties. True, he had young people to dig for him, but he was running this operation till he died at ninety seven. There are old men working allotments until their eighties. They have tilled the ground well over the years and now it requires no great effort. Men like this are physically fit and healthy, as the outdoor life is a great power for well being.   You might do charity or church work. 

Some spend their time caring for grandchildren. I know that my wife is looking forward to the time when she can do this. I will be able to take the grandchildren to the allotment when they reach an age where they can enjoy it. They will love the pond with the tadpoles and the frogs. 

As I approach the date of state pension I find that I am trying to balance out my life. I am not as driven as I once was, and have no ambitions. In fact I told the examination board to stop offering me the chance to go for promotion and to give the opportunities to younger people. Years ago I drove for it.Not now. I am seeking a balance in my life between work and relationships. I have no debts and no dependent children, so why work under pressure any longer. Enjoy living. 

Pretirement should be a reflective, spiritual time when money making takes a lower place than living a genuine fulfilled and human life in which you enjoy your relationships, which in our society are often sacrificed for work. Part of my morning routine is checking on my ninety four year old mother-in-law, when my wife is at work. She also only works part time, having downshifted from a full time middle management position in a primary school that soaked up her time in the evenings and left her exhausted. I ensure that any jobs that my mother-in-law needs doing are done and I tend the front garden for her. Downshifting from high pressure jobs is a life-saver. No one should hang onto a senior position for too long. Know when to let go. 

Your retirement should be a time which you approach in a positive spirit. It should be seen as an opportunity for growth and new direction in life, for a state in which you are in control and a boss is relegated to distant, fading memory. If we approach with positive attitudes we will remain healthy and active for many years; but a negative approach will lead to misery and earlier failing of health.