Never did I think I’d say this but come the first of next month I will be retired. Yes sir. Me retired. That would be funny if you knew me or perhaps not, as it might sound as if I am having some kind of mental slip and fall.
Certainly I won’t be moving to an exotic land or taking cruises like my older, retired brothers do quite often. No, I will still be working, barely making ends meet most likely unless some kind of miracle happens between now and the time my first check is electronically deposited. My monthly pension, while it’s about half of what I’d make at 65 instead of 55, is even less but might be enough for a ball game and a night on the town in Houston every now and then. Or it might pay my phone and Internet bill. Like any schmoe with good intentions, I am thinking about putting into savings most of my monthly check from the big media company I will officially be retired from. I say officially retired from even though I haven’t worked for the company in five years. I say big media company, it’s not such a big media company anymore, at least not a big newspaper medium company. It’s still a big media company. Both newspapers I worked for which were owned by the big media company are no longer owned by the big media company.
Such are the fortunes of big media, newspapers and the economy these days. These signs with Gee Dubya’s picture saying: “Do You Miss Me Yet?” sure don’t make me wistful. But you already know that if you know me.
In reality, I never really thought that much about whether I’d ever retire. I kind of figured I never will and in reality, I likely never will unless it is medical retirement. That certainly isn’t out of the question. Even though others whom I know also figured I’d never stay with a job long enough retire will likely scoff at what I am saying. I’ll be drawing a small pension after working 10-plus years for a company. Big deal! But it’s just one of those things you get to say you have done. I retired. I joined the AARP a couple of times after I turned 50, but you don’t have to be a retired person to join. If I join again, which I probably will, I can honestly say “I am retired.”
If I want to avoid my complicated employment situation: a full-time job I don’t always work at full time, a part-time job that often feels and sometimes is full-time what with added union responsibilities, I can just say: “I’m retired” when someone asks me what it is I do.
I’m retired. It has a nice ring to it.
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