A PLAN GONE ASTRAY - Final segment (Scroll down for earlier segments)
After years on the hamster
wheel, the time finally came for me to meet with my career guidance counselor. Together we would plan my future; map out my
field of study. I knew I wasn’t going to
choose any field with a bull in it.
Most of my classmates wanted
to go into education, medicine, foreign languages, or some other menial
endeavor. I had a better plan.
“So, Mr. Maberry, what would you like to
go into?” asked my counselor.
“Retirement,” I answered.
“Retirement?” he questioned,
briefly stunned.
“That’s right,” I
answered. “I understand retirement.”
Being around Gramps, I felt I
knew everything there was to know about retirement. I could converse with anyone over
coffee. I had learned key words, such as
Hawaii, Caribbean, tee time, and Certificate of Deposit. I had even won “Best of Show” at the county
fair for my pill box display. I couldn’t
drive like Gramps, but I could pick up those skills at a stunt-driving
school.
I liked what I saw in
retirement. I knew it was something I
could do. My wandering mind even
supported the idea.
Then my counselor said
something that shook the pillars of my big new world. “You’ll have to work
before going into retirement,” he said.
“I don’t remember Gramps
working,” I answered.
“Most people work before
retirement,” he continued.
I re-considered the field with a bull in it.
“Do you have another plan?”
asked my counselor. “Is there another
area you would enjoy?”
“Well, maybe Assisted
Living. Mom says I’ve been in it for
the past seventeen years, and I’ve excelled beyond her wildest
expectations.”
“Have you considered
working?”
“Only as a last option,” I
answered.
Needing money for room and
board, I finally decided on the last option.
Work! Then I discovered that work
is the primary cause of aging.
Why didn’t they prepare me
for this in the fourth grade?
I hope I live long enough to
enjoy my plan. I hope it’s not a plan
gone astray.
New chapter coming...check back soon
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