Is it wrong to retire at 60?
I asked this question to myself many times and have seen my colleagues and seniors who are 60 years of age or above often face this situation as well – whether they should carry on working by whatever means or allow themselves to retire and be sequentially replaced by juniors.
It gets furthermore complicated when someone like me had to leave their comfort of living overseas and return to India after many years. Conflicting thoughts kept coming because of my situation, and I remained utterly confused whether to continue or leave my possessions – be it the apartment, furniture, car, colleagues or the comfort of living in a place like Dubai vs. returning to India and adapting to and hopefully enjoying my time-off.
The answer to the above dilemma, in my case, as I guess in the case of many others, lies in one’s financial independence rather than social or professional obligations. It’s not easy by any means to accept the fact that post-retirement things will no longer be the same and inflow of money (salary and perks) has stopped. However, once one is convinced that earning from retirement savings vis-à-vis expenses is in the surplus, then the mind invariably switches mode and tends to lean more towards a stress-free, non-routine, enjoyable phase of life.
While opting to continue working has its own advantages like social, economic, and professional gains – regular income, professional networking, work-life discipline, etc., on the flip side, however, it takes away the wonderful phase of life that connects the dots – one’s youth to one’s “youth-of-retirement”.
Having retired about two years ago, I can now relate to the gains and losses that I have earned or incurred. Firstly, I think, without the job pressure and organizational stress, my retirement has aptly connected me to myself as a child – playing with time at my will!
Secondly, this phase of life allows me to do what I have always enjoyed doing – traveling to different places and enjoying the natural beauty all across. Meeting with the local people and trying out ethnic cuisines – something that I have had been craving for many years!
Thirdly, and most importantly, my retirement allowed me to spend time with our daughter during her first childbirth, and graciously enjoy becoming a grandfather! These priceless moments are something I couldn’t have earned; had I still been working.
Finally, my retirement permits me to pursue my dreams without any kind of reporting structure or deadline. While I actively engage in activities of my choice, I do not remain answerable to anyone anytime. In short, I now keep shooting the ball in the air hoping to score a goal that is heavenly destined for me!
While I cherish these moments, and engage openly with everyone, playing with members half my age, participating in new language-learning skills, I remain cognizant of facts that were instrumental in the smooth transition from work life to my retired phase.
To name a few things that greatly helped in overcoming any major hiccups in our perceived acceptance, I ensured the retaining of old furniture, including sofa and couch sets, dining tables, wall photos, etc. Even my house in India has been designed and decorated in a very similar way to our apartment in Dubai. There is not much variation in our living space and overall interiors – something that has helped our kids’ transition to their “new home”, and they don’t regret us retiring or relocating as well.
In hindsight, it was indeed a tough decision to leave everything behind and relocate after living in a place for over 20 years. But I am glad I took the decision as I feel not enjoying each phase that befits one’s age is a missed opportunity.