RETIREMENT: A Plan

     Most of my life I have had jobs that engaged some type of planning: Land Use, or Transportation Corridors or budgets. I encouraged friends and youthful family members to always try and have a 5 year plan. It helps in making decisions when we face choices. Will it lead me to where I want to be in 5 years? Or at least on the path to achieving it.

Naturally, the Universe has its own plan and events occur that we could not foresee but have to deal with when they come along. 

     So: I planned what I wanted to study, where I wanted to travel, when to have a family, the usual Timeline for a careerist!!  I am very happy with how the bulk of things turned out.

 

     However, in a ridiculously dumb act for a supposed "planner" I did not plan for Retirement. Not many people actually think they "need to plan for retirement". It is simply something that comes along. We look out for a pension plan to provide money to live during retirement, but what on earth was I going to do during the day. No commuting, healthy lunches to pack,  memos to write... I also was one of the lucky ones from the turn of the Century that had an opportunity to retire early. Then children left home and I began to think -- Now What? I hoped to have decades left of life - what should I do with it?  Clearly the Nobel Prize or Pulitzer Prize will not be on the horizon. 

     From my early childhood, I have loved music. Listening to it; reading about it  and going to concerts. I had accumulated this collection of grey cells in my skull that held info that was not being used ; nor likely to be used.

     Then, I saw a write-up in the local paper about a new Local Radio station who were looking for volunteers. I applied and managed to secure a position doing TWO radio shows a week. I absolutely adore it. Searching through my huge digital library for appropriate tunes to either create a theme or celebrate a singer/song's anniversary.

     I came to Canada long before Y2K was a threat, and had a "Plan" to quietly become a prominent Geographer, drool over maps, study communities in the daytime and at night be disc-jockey playing rock and roll music. Well, none of that happened 50  years ago, but at the tail end of my so-called working life, I have in fact achieved what I planned 50 years ago!! Guess my 5 year plan seems to be written on a very elastic medium.  I love my retirement now. Doing something I have wanted to do all my life and share my love of music with others.

     If you get a moment, listen to me on 97.5CIOE-FM over the airwaves or 97.5Community Radio on the Internet. Wednesday at 1pm (AST), I play oldies;  Perry Como, Patti Page, Al Jolson and Do-wop groups. (You know, those singers that pop up twice a year on the PBS Fund raising shows!!) It is called, When the Lights Come On Again.  Then in the evening at 7pm, (AST) also on Wednesday, it is the Beatles and Beyond show. Obviously featuring the Fab Four, but also what music in the sixties evolved into after the youth boom took over the world's developed economies.

 

So, I guess, some five year plans take a bit longer to achieve.