Retirement can sometimes be accompanied by a host of new feelings, a mixed bag of emotions that arise when we happen to notice how close our retirement actually is. Apprehension is often related to the fear of what’s about to come, the unknown stuff. You may have already noticed that whenever you imagine your future, it shows up in all its wonderful, cinematic and technicolour glory and then, how easy it can be for you to slip sideways into feeling confused and unsure. This contradiction can reflect the reality of where you’re at now versus the dream you’re still having. Apprehension arises when we stumble over our future expectations and then fear becomes the main culprit in the act of self-sabotage. Something that none of us really want.
Freedom and happiness are often expressed in the same sentence. Freedom from what could be a reasonable question to ask. Most of us could make a long list of the stuff we want to avoid: freedom from routine, my job, from feeling bored, being broke, not being loved and this damned stress I can’t get rid of etc…But what if these wishes could never lead you to Freedom? There are moments of joy where we love without wanting anything in return and the sun shines down on us brightly, but what of wanting freedom from my angry temper, my unchecked selfishness and from my own melancholy.
Our habitual tendency is to unconsciously move into the next moment even before we understand the moment we’re currently in. This present moment is where the action is, the place we need to be. Our fears lie somewhere else, over there, in that alternate world that we’re so good at creating, where we are forever daydreaming and fantasizing about how our future will turn out, over in our imagined world but never in the power of the present moment.
Being concerned about your future, worried that your savings plan is heading south and feeling like all your energy is back into just dealing with the basic needs of life is all part of the madness the pandemic has thrown into the mix of today’s retirees. Imagining a carefree life of fun in the sun is now a distant image for many. If you’re approaching retirement or simply wanting to opt-out, can’t quite figure out whether they should be laughing or crying as we all approach the midpoint of 2021. Many of us are finding ourselves in a place that will require a complete rethink of how realistic our desired outcomes are to be. Much is slowly fading from view. Being mindful can help because “worry’ is a very marketable product and any ideas contained in this blog regarding getting your thinking right is not pushed by the numerous and very profitable companies out there.
This global pandemic has shown us many scenes of hope and compassion but also of human weakness, despair and greed. It’s wearing us all down. But what if we were determined to make a difference instead of just wanting more fun in the sun. Is that a retirement option worth considering and is there a windy path to follow that leads to another kind of freedom, the one not seen in the glossy magazines?
If, for example, you are forced for the first time in decades to learn to live without aeroplanes does this offer up opportunity or anger?. How you view the present affects your future, widening your viewpoint means it’s easier to let go.. If we care to look, much about our way of life is changing, the very ground under our feet, the natural world is changing. Transforming our thinking is an essential part of our new freedom.
Bewilderment, anger and despair are not part of the mix moving forward. Acceptance of this new emerging reality is what’s needed and it’s beginning to sink in for many around the world. They say that older people are set in their ways but that could be just another children’s fable set to scare us into never changing. Flexibility is key and although the transition can be uncomfortable, it allows us the freedom to make way for what will be new in our lives, for what is to come, to have a clearer choice of the best path to personal freedom.
We can no longer afford to simply pay up for our sins to be forgotten, to pray for forgiveness and then have the licence to sin all over again, it’s just not working. Endurance, clear thinking and patience will succeed because in the end the world around us, my world, the world out there is of my own making and what I make of it is entirely up to me and me alone.
“There is nothing quite so tragic as a young cynic, because it means the person has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing” – Maya Angelou
When it comes down to what seniors are concerned about, it’s money, enough to protect their future, a secure roof and some adequate and affordable health care in case you get sick. If we believe in the grand words spoken by our political leaders for long enough they begin to ring hollow, it feels like we’re always waiting for an outcome that never arrives. Constantly postponing critical decisions is no longer an option. How can we plan our future when the goalposts keep moving in the wrong direction.
Our retirement future may not end up the way we all expected but if we keep alert as to how we are dealing emotionally with the changes around us then this deeper understanding can have a strong effect on our expectations of freedom and we need to plan accordingly. We are reaching the point where too many bridges have been crossed, too many of God’s natural boundaries are being moved around and with an ever-increasing and unstable environment, instability is sure to follow. Supporting each other and informed understanding has helped the world manage Covid-19 but if we forget that this planet is an integral part of our existence we are throwing our children under a bus. We don’t have to be perfect, just less greedy. The earth is part of our body, part of our future and the very basis for any future freedoms to exist at all. Our freedom comes with conditions attached.
