A Letter To My Father On His Retirement

Dear Papa,

I am little fidgety as after a long time I am writing something to you. But I found this mattering much to express my feelings through this letter. Few things written words can express better!

Papa, you are going to depart from your office life very soon, the life which you have been living since you were only 18. Its nature’s law that everything that starts comes to its end and now has come the time of your retirement from this duty, which you have been doing since last 38 years!

I still remember your first interview experience that you shared with me. You were only 18 and selected for a dream job of that time. This job has given you so much; your pride, your confidence and the sense of responsibility. With this job, you were able to give wings to your siblings and family members. I know you have always been an honest employee of your company. Because of that, you gained so much respect and fame there. You are a well-known personality among thousands of employees. Your jolly nature brought you close to many of your office mates who are your friends for a lifetime now. You worked so hard to support and rise your family. Your work gave you the impudence to invest on many good things in life. And all thanks to your job, you were able to promote your daughters to dream about bright futures and careers. But, you know, I still find it funny when Amma says that her father agreed for you because you had this renounced job, else he didn’t like your family :)

Papa, I am not sure if you are prepared for this day or not. You might be having some inner conflicts as well. And I am still unsure how you would be feeling that day. But, I can understand! We often make our work our identity and the purpose of life, especially when we have nothing else to look about. And when retirement comes we think that the sand has slipped from our hands and we can’t do anything now. But Papa, the clock is always different for different people. Some people think the day has gone, while some other think they still have the night. Someone graduated at the age of 22 but waited 5 years for his dream job. Someone became a CEO at the age of 25 and departed at 50. While, another became a CEO at the age of 50, and lived and worked till 90. Someone is still single while others got married and have a family. Absolutely everyone in this world has their own clock. And it’s always in our hands to keep this clock going.

Retiring from this work is the beginning of your next job. Now you have to complete those duties that you were never able to do while doing your job. Spend quality time with Amma. She likes traveling but due to other more important things in life, you both never went on any long trip. So, go explore the world with her. Give water to your hobbies and passions. I know you enjoy gardening and farming. Flourish this hobby, become a new generation farmer. And, you also like writing na? You only wrote all my school debates and speeches. Why not pursue this whim being a blogger? Someone who can awesomely write about culture and mythology, believe me Papa, you’ll be unbeatable then.

Okay, enough of preaching you. All I want to say is, don’t see your retirement as an edge of your life. Take this opportunity to prove yourself. Prove this world that retirement is a change of pace, not the end of the road. Keep on your journey with new people, new work, and new aspirations. While financial security is certainly critical, you need to amass more than money for a successful retirement. See it as an opportunity for new goals and accomplishments. Just because you will be retired from one career does not mean you can’t start another. Did you noticed Papa, Obama retired at 55 and Trump started at 70? And the founders of McDonald’s, Coca Cola, and Kentucky Fried Chicken were all over 50 when they established their businesses. So, it's time to take that off ramp to your new life and new interest you may never have known you had.