RETIREMENT: TICKETWAY TO THE END

Everyone has that one amazing out of the world teacher they had growing up.  Ever since you graduated her class and moved higher up in life, you’ve been promising yourself that you’ll pay her a visit.

Last you heard is that she retired, which means she’s now free and available, so you are more than sure that you’ll pay her a visit Very Soon, maybe drag a few of the old boys and girls along, and spend hours together reliving the good old days.

 Days, weeks, months and years pass by, and she too, passes on.

So soon after retirement?  Why?  How long has it been?  4 years?  Damn, that was fast!  Was she sick or something?

For the past couple of years, the Baby Boomers have been hitting the retirement age and shockingly, for many, they don’t get to enjoy at least 5 years of retirement.  All of sudden, they get diagnosed with chronic diseases and months or a few years later, are back to dust.  Why, we all wonder?

Do ailments and old age have a pact?

My Class 1-3 teacher didn’t make it past the 5 year mark either.

See, for almost 4 decades, the lady walked 2 kilometers' to school in the morning, back home at lunch time, then back again to school and once more, back home in the evening.  That’s a whole 8 kilometers' in a day!  Being a lower primary teacher, being active was a must as these kids are as playful and active as kittens.  Now, at retirement, all she did was sit at home and do almost nothing that involved physical activity.

Her day to day social interactions with pupils, teachers, parents and other staff members were at optimum.  All these were abruptly cut down when she secluded herself back home – all alone, with the kids long moved out, grandkids in boarding schools, husband long dead and the only one around was a shamba boy or a handful of workers during harvest time.

This kind of instant loneliness for someone so bubbly somewhat drove her to depression.  One minute she was having to keep her phone on Silent Mode, the next, the only calls she got were from Kamiti Prison con artists.  Literally no one was in need of her.  I suppose the situation is harsher for folks who have to relocate from the city to the village.

Her mental ability declined.  The brain is like a muscle, if you don’t work it, it shrinks and may be prone to memory loss.  It’s not just about the physical exercise but cognitive too, like reading, socializing, puzzles, decision making…

With no social life, intellectual connections, physical exercise, the endless chases after her pension, insurance companies playing cat and mouse games on her…there’s no way Mrs. Njogu was set to live to blow 101 candles.

So, if you ask me, I’d tell you, retirement should be gradual.  You used to work 8 hours in a day?  How about we cut those down to 6?  They can’t keep you?  Try volunteering.  Can’t no longer keep your social circle?  Get involved in church, mentorship, baraza la wazee and chamas.  Can’t take the walks and stairs no more?  Become an active farmer, or gardener.  If you make it past the 5 Year mark, you sure are set to live into your 90’s and beyond. 

In a nutshell, Always have a Reason for Waking Up and a Purpose for Living…or else, much sooner than later, all that will be left of you is nothing but a faded blurry memory of who you used to be.