As a child I was given a small print of the Edvard Munch
painting ‘The Sun’. It is a powerful painting. I kept the print
upon my wall for many a year.
The first time I went to Oslo was in 1983, and at long last I
was able to see the painting for myself.
Something I never dreamed might happen to me while I was a child.
Since then I’ve been to many other places which I never
dreamed about getting to while I was as child.
Come to that: –
I’ve been to places, and seen things which my grandparents
would never of been able to reach within their working lives.
Now I’ve reached the age of 58, and I’ll retire in just under
six years and four months.
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking of late about what I want to
do then.
A lot of this thinking is that I want to go back & revisit
various places again. This time I’ll be able to appreciate
them with the benefit of experience, and a larger ( or wider )
knowledge base.
What I really want to do is go off and do something new.
The Trick about how to survive retirement is to keep the
following in mind:
One both needs to make ones own routines,
to be open to new ideas,
and be willing to take up any interesting opportunities
which present themselves to one.
Of course we all have a lot of dreams.
There always things to do which one has never done before.
There are always places to visit which one has never been
to before.
I’ve still to visit the following places:
– The Dickens museum
– Doctor Johnson’s House
– The Foundling Hospital Museum.
&
– The Temple church in Middle Temple.
I would also like to Spend an evening at a old fashioned
Music Hall.
Think and planning ahead for my retirement means that I’m
now clearing away a lot of my long term projects.
I’ve moved my political archive to the IISH in Amsterdam.
I’ve rewritten my will.
&
I’m now reorganising my finances so that I’ll have enough to
live on once I’m retired.
The next thing I want to so is put a few things in place so
that I may take up one projects.
One thing I really want to do is more public speaking.
I’d also like to travel around Cornwall and Devon by bus,
&
to teach myself Dutch.
These are all achievable aims,
&
not unachievable dreams.
They are also things which I can and should do before I
retire.
I’m looking forward to retirement, as I’ll be able to do all
of these things,
&
MUCH MUCH MORE.