Forced into retirement at 59 July 2012

by Terry
(Tacoma Washington)

Once I was let go, I knew there was no going back. I couldn't pass a physical so getting another job wasn't happening.

It took a year and a Lawyer to get Social Security. Then it took another 2 years to get on Medicare. With a Lung condition, a heart condition it was not easy, many times choosing what bills to pay and not to afford meds.

The Anxiety at first was very scary, not knowing what to do the feeling of sheer panic!

The year or so I did nothing but watch TV and sleep, felt useless. I still have all this knowledge from many years of work, not a clue what to do with it. Seems like a waste.

I started doing odd jobs around the house, and got back into some of the hobbies I once did. Its still not easy to figure out what to do each day to keep from going crazy. I wake up each day, I find something to do to Occupy my time.

The Anxiety is not as frequent as it was, with limited finances this is not easy!

Those that are Lucky to have money should this happen are very fortunate, having money always makes the transition easier!

I guess the best way to put it a friend told me, just keep trying don't give up.

Comments for Forced into retirement at 59 July 2012

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Me too - like Willy loman
by: Roy/nyc

Yeah. I got thrown out of the tech industry sales. Most all my enterprise contact VIP - COO,CFO, CEO's retired and left their corporate it work behind. After being let go, nobody would hit an aging sales person in the tech industry. I was fortunate to have been in sales during internet build out and had a couple of years where my commissions exceeded 1m annual - but nobody cares about history.

The funny thing is that most if not calll of the hiring managers I spoke with are very weak and could have benefitted from me- but they had such piss poor attitudes I refrained from letting them see or know how they could have benefited. I decided that I would no longer give away any of my knowledge for free ever again.

My new hobby is chopping down my resume to show only a twelve year history , closing for an appointment on the phone interviewing and then showing up in a bespoke brooks brothers 2k suit and see the inteviewer squirm with fear jealousy and age discrimination.

I usually make sure that they learn that I would be the best hire they could ever have and I dare them to show me their unprofessionalism in the following . I make sure that I shake their hand and I look th in the eye when I use my torque my vice grip handshake until I see their knees bend . Then I go out and buy a great NYC meal before hiring a cab to take me home .

My pay back has become great entertainment for me . I even write hand written notes thanking them for their time and fairness in the interview . I have found that many of these interview amateurs actually do lose sleep at the way they age discriminate - so I learnt to identify and target them and kill them with professionalism .
retired at 59
by: mildred/tn

w/ your knowledge write a book or a blog or write it down just for your self...

I have a sign in my bedroom "no matter how u feel-get up, dress up, show up, never give up" that I read many times each day
This site will help.
by: Len, Palau Islands

Hello Terry,

I am 59 yrs. old too. I have a year to go before retirement and already I have concern similar to yours. One thing for sure is that there's this site.

I do make time to get on and read what others write about. It gives me ideas and with that I have began plans for when I do leave work early next year.

I am an educator and from a small island nation where English is a second language. There's always a need for teaching English at remote villages or smaller islands. It's on my list. I could probably go into more traditional activities like weaving and chanting with the elders.

Yes money can be an issue but that does not become a big barrier out here. I do understand that it might be in bigger countries like USA.

I love writing too. I met couple of people on this site that I have been writing to for the last 3 years. So dear Terry... stick to this site, connect, find friends here. It helps a great deal.

Take care and Best Wishes always.
just keep trying don't give up
by: Nancy

That should be my motto.

I also have to get up every day and decide what to do to keep occupied. Gratitude has also helped me a lot. Even when I was most anxious and depressed about retirement, I had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude.

I also cherish my marriage, and my husband and I have enough money. I'm really grateful for that.

The first couple of years before I was eligible for Medicare, I was in a tight financial bind, plus one of my pensions hadn't kicked in yet. So when those 2 things occurred, I felt like I was rich.

One of the best things that ever happened to me was being a Peace Corps volunteer and learning to live on less.

You will find the help you need in these pages.
A new chapter in your life bio
by: Elna Nugent, Lenox, MA.

Dear Terry:

I actually wish it were mandatory that every newly retired person would automatically seek out a well recommended psychological counselor.

You are like a newborn that has been roughly released into a complete life change. A change that is impossible to predict without a midwife... even for those who have planned everything down to the bone. ..that related to retirement.

The only person in this world you have to be afraid of is yourself.

We will do almost anything to avoid confronting ourselves and who we really are. That is why you need a counselor to help you cross the high bridges. I remember feeling as if a mirror was following me at every turn, asking me who I really was.

I am more than a decade older than you and I can say this is one of the best times of my life and gets better every year . You have physical problems that put you into some restrictive boundaries. Yet these are the very things that teach us the most and let us know what we are made of .

Keep in touch.
Much love and many blessings.
You have options...
by: Wendy

Money or not, there are options... if you can't afford where you live, move to somewhere that removes worries as you can live again. Right?

Having nothing to do is a big problem... to me, bigger than the financial issue. BUT there are choices:

-- do lunch with others, eat out or swap places and make lunch for each other to save a few dollars.

-- do community activities, so much to do locally if you simply get out of the house. sit and be a people watcher or actively participate but get moving.

-- join local groups or clubs... a simple library book club where you all read and discuss the same book is fun.

-- start a blog and write about all that knowledge stuck in your head... do it as a free blog and offer your help to the world.

Just saying we can all be and do, even without finances... there is a whole big world out there.

Enjoy it, before its too late. Right!?

Best Wishes!

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