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so you've reached your sixties. What does that mean for you and your relationships? It means another set of strains and tensions introduced into your life. Retirement beckons. Whilst some people look forward to retirement others on differing levels dread it. this is especially so for people whose work was their life. All your social contacts and activities were centred around your work. Then retirement and all your social life and friends fade away. Its probable that this contributes to the fact that men die younger than women. Women in general have a wider set of social contacts than men. I realise that this is a sweeping statement but my observations seem to back it up. I know of men -- very succesful men-- who once they retire seem to collapse into themselves--and there are lots of anecdotes regarding men who retire and abruptly die. Tied in with retirement are reviews of your finances. These started in your fifties continue but with a degree of urgency. Do we need to move house? is the house we brought all the children up in too large for the two of us? can we afford to run it? If the decision is made to move house all the stresses and tensions involved in this process kick in. Its in your sixties that ones health starts to play up. You have high blood pressure, heart problems, etc etc. I know that these can happen at any age but they seem to come to prominence during your sixties. It probably is because you haven't as much to occupy your mind with, the pace of life has slowed down, or you've become more introspective. You then have to adapt your life to control your health even more than you did previously. This can bring you together as a couple or conversly be another reason for drifting apart. What are you going to do with your extra time? New hobbies, interests? Increasingly in the UK we are finding that more and more people are starting up small businesses, this keeps you active, your head buzzing and often needs new skills. This is the time when you find out that being the best double glazing salesperson does not endow you with the skills neded to maximise your retirement. It can be quite a jolt, especially if you haven't given it much thought beforehand. during your fifties and sixties you were probably brought face to face with death--your parents, friends etc and this together with retirement starts you thinking about your own mortality. |
