When will I have time enough to discover whether the autumn-flowering aloes have any scent at all?Maybe when I retire. My thoughts turn periodically to this matter. Certainly I do not want to wish my life away. I have always been of the opinion that work is salutary for body and soul and have thrown myself into my job with enthused dedication for the past thirty years. Yet these days the notion of freedom from deadlines and quotas is increasingly seductive.
I fear that I have entered into the phase entitled Imagination, which the experts say is experienced 6-15 years before retirement. The next phase, if all goes to plan, will be ushered in with my sixtieth birthday next year. Thephase of Anticipation, of crucial importance to a fulfilled retirement. So, if the research is to be believed, I am not yet Anticipating, just Dreaming. Of afternoon walks in the park to enjoy the autumn aloes and gaze at lizards asleep in the sun. Of mornings cutting and piecing my untouched stash of quilting fabrics. Of packing cupboards straight and spraying the roses weekly and not sporadically. Of ignoring emails and trying out cookie recipes instead.But again the experts caution that this blissful state of Doing What One pleases only lasts for the first year of retirement – the Honeymoon Phase. Followed by Disenchantment and Reorientation. Daunting prospects. Maybe I must just quit complaining and stay at my desk as long as I can.
Your thoughts?
