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Retirement is a weasel word

Ed Robbins from the Sandy Bay Combined Probus Club is both excited and daunted by the thought of full-time retirement – a word that has him literally ‘shaking in his shoes’. Here he shares a little ditty on the transition from employment to ‘the golden years’.

 

Just wait till I retire” is a phrase you often hear,

From people who have reached a certain age.

The promise of a happy time they call ‘the golden years’ –

New chapters with delights on every page.

We hope retirement gives us time to do those

special things we always dreamed of doing in the past.

To travel, play more golf, enjoy what leisure brings,

And live a life fulfilled, content at last!

But retirement is a weasel word. What does it really mean?

Is it all it’s claimed to be, or are there risks unseen?

How to face the great unknown, when I am so confused?

That weasel word ‘retirement’ has me shaking in my shoes.

Some people seem to bloom and grow when work has reached its end.

Retirement brings them freedom and release.

They start creative hobbies, join a club and make new friends;

Their troubles fade away and they’re at peace.

But poverty’s a scary thing. How will we make ends meet

 

When the comfort of a salary is gone?

The bills will keep on coming and the future’s not too sweet –

We’ll have the time but not the cash to carry on.

 

Retirement is a weasel word. What does it really mean?

Is it all it’s claimed to be, or are there risks unseen?

How to face the great unknown, when I am so confused?

That weasel word ‘retirement’ has me shaking in my shoes.

Will our super see us through? Is it enough for me and you?

Will we have to claim the pension to survive?

Will the house be falling down? Will our friends still come around,

When retirement takes the place of ‘nine to five’?

Retirement is a weasel word. What does it really mean?

Is it all it’s claimed to be, or are there risks unseen?

How to face the great unknown, when I am so confused?

That weasel word ‘retirement’ has me shaking in my shoes.

That weasel word ‘retirement’ has me shaking, shaking, shaking in my shoes!