The true retirement occurs when man breathes last to merge with the elements from where he came

Many people think retirement is relaxing in an easy chair at home after one’s active service in a job or vocation. Actually, life starts again after the so-called retirement; because it is the time when you need to re-establish your links with the old and forgotten relationships of friendship and kinship. In fact, it is after the retirement, a person has to take care of both self and spouse. The children prefer to be independent as they grow; it becomes stronger after their marriage. Life after the retirement needs more courage and tolerance to face the moments, sensitive and ever-changing. So, one need to be active after the retirement. After the end of a career, a person has the advantages of the corpus from superannuation, rich experience, freedom, a network of friends and free time at his disposal. He can do whatever he likes. Many people tend to feel dependent on their children forgetting what they are worth. With the combined force of brain and willpower, wonders can be made to produce lasting effects on the lives of people around them. An old woman with curved back did not rely on her heirs or relatives but remained independent till her last breath. She used to rise early in the morning and fetch flowers from the market to make garlands for sale. In fact, she left a small savings to be donated to the local temple. The shortcut to a happy retired life is to keep engaged in some activities. The avenues for staying busy are aplenty. One should choose an activity that satisfies the interests of self and other as well. The activities pursued by the majority of the senior citizens can be divided into two broad groups as Domestic and Social affairs. Browsing the newspaper and books, cloth-washing, furniture-cleaning, walking, watching the TV, Playing with grandchildren, Helping-resolve problems and facilitating peace and happiness are major activities under the Domestic group. Attending the social and religious get-together, visiting the relatives and friends, providing consultancy to the needy, doing part-time jobs, guiding others through writing books and articles and volunteering for social services like traffic regulation and medical camps are examples for Society-related activities. Performing these actions with involvement and sincerity will be more satisfying to the self and rewarding to others. The concept of retirement is applicable to those working in the organized sector like office, society, etc. The set of people having their own vocation or profession has no such rituals. Farmers, Politicians, Carpenters, Lawyers and Doctors remain in their trade, as long as they can. Therefore, a person enters the retirement stage only when he feels unable to maintain his status due to sickness or other factors. A sportsman is said to have retired when he keeps away from the field unable to compete anymore. The true retirement occurs when man breathes last to merge with the elements from where he came. Plan well for a happy retired life by keeping aside a part of the present income. -