Member-only story
When the rubber hits the road
A day out near Solihull
Courtesy of Russell Heritage Golf
Retirement is outmoded
When I left my company, I wasn’t fond of answering questions like, what do you do now, or are you enjoying your retirement?
Retirement was always something that older others did. It makes me think of black and white films where we see the main character have his or her last day at work. There’s a small, discrete, afternoon tea party in the staff canteen, where an awkward boss waxes lyrical about the contribution they’ve made to the company, not forgetting the 40 odd years service, most, if not all their adult life. It ends with the presentation of a carriage clock and everyone eats cake before going back to work for another hour or two. The last action of the person leaving is to clear their desk and say goodbye to the works cat. As they close the office door for the last time and walk off down the street, there is a sense that neither the company or the character leaving will remember each other for long.
These days, many have no choice but to continue working into traditional retirement years, others continue to work to retain a sense of purpose.
