The problem with retirement
Is what you become in the eyes of others.
For men it’s harder.
Women are always what they have been….
Sisters, aunties, wives, and mothers,
Keepers of the larder.
But when a man retires, he is no more!
He is no more what he was,
He’s just a bore
Who talks about things because
There isn’t anything else to do with all that knowledge.
And if you carry on……working
There’s no concession, no quarter
No respite, just shorter
Tempers
You’re older, and in the way
You have nothing of value to say.
It’s a young man’s game.
And if you quit…..retire….desist
It’s worse…..you cease to exist
You are not what you were…
It stops…. in the blink of an eye
You have nothing of value to say.
This has to stop.
Let battle commence!
Roger's Blog 
Wait…
The problem with retirement…
is what you see when you look in the mirror
You no longer see what you’ve always been
and you think you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
It’s nothing to do with gender
Women who’ve worked feel the same loss
Or suffer the ache of an empty nest
And seek friendships..they aren’t interested in the larder!
Back to you…
If you can throw off the mantel of entitlement
you can humbly and usefully share
your expertise and life experience
with someone who actually cares.
There are voluntary opportunities everywhere
working with people who are just people not roles
If you find a niche where you know you can add value
Then you will have found the meaning of retirement ‘with soul’.