Retirement age

I've been told by nearly everyone I know who has retired, that it isn't what it's cracked up to be. People get bored quickly and miss the comradery of co-workers and clients. They miss having somewhere to go every day, and they miss being needed. So many people identify with their job that when that job is gone, they lose their identity and essentially, they lose themselves.

Here, in the U.S., it seems like there is no time or patience to deal with the older generations. Fifty years old is considered (even if it's just jokingly) "over the hill." When sixty-five was set as the official age of retirement, it seemed to set a standard by which to gauge a person's abilities. Once you're sixty-five, it's your time to retire, whether you want to or not; you're no longer useful in the workplace. I think it's influenced how society looks at the capabilities of anyone over sixty-five. Is it really the best fit for our seniors to be greeters at Walmart?

My parents are eighty-years-old and their faculties are still pretty sharp. It's funny (kind of)...if I'm talking to my dad, he'll tell me something that my mom said that makes him worry about her mind. If I'm talking to my mom, she'll confide in me that Dad forgot something she supposedly told him repeatedly. As far as I can see, their minds are at least as good as mine.

My final sentiment is this. Treasure the older members of your family, friends, and neighbors. Somehow find the time to visit, or call, or at least drop them a card so they know that someone is thinking about them. What I hate more than anything is people who are disrespectful, even angry, who don't help when asked all because the senior in their life is having trouble remembering things and it's frustrating. These same people will then cry and mourn and grieve when that person passes away. Don't wait until then to show you loved someone. It's meaningless after the fact.

Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent.

Psalm 71:9 ESV