When I Am 64! - From the point of view of a 9th grade student

This is an attempt to describe my imagination of what I will do when I am 64 years of age. First let us understand why I have picked up this age for discussion. To put it in simple terms, though the stipulated retirement age in various work sectors differs, it would be safe to consider that by 64 years of age, most people of our generation would retire from whatever professional work they have been chasing as a full time career for their lifetime.

In today’s fast paced world, no matter what profession one chooses, life presents itself as a continuous evolving and ongoing race with various stages of the career path. The common milestones in most people’s lives are survival, growth, stability, and finally sustainability in terms of health and wealth as old age approaches.

After all the struggle through life, one may actually look forward to that retirement day and start thinking that it will put an end to his worries. Alas! This perception is far from true. While a small break of a few days or weeks from our usual busy schedule is always welcome, a complete and sudden retirement from work is similar to bringing a car running at a speed of 120Km/hr to a sudden halt, where unless the brakes are applied gradually by reducing the speed of the car, a fatal accident is almost certain to occur. A similar impact can also affect the body and mind of a human if he has been extremely busy throughout life and suddenly has nothing to do one fine day when he retires. If professional retirement is considered as an end of busy life, this can result in significant emotional and physical setbacks for the individual. The old proverb “Idle mind is a devil’s workshop” rightly applies here. Inactivity can result in serious health and psychological problems gaining roots in a person’s life. So what can be done to mitigate these problems?

Until about 30 years ago, the person of 64 years of age would be categorized as an old person, struggling to survive through the remainder of his life. But with increasing health awareness and medicinal aid, the life expectancy of humans has increased significantly, and today 64 just seems another number to celebrate one’s birthday. In fact, a lot of people now consider it to be the beginning of a new and exciting phase of life, and find new ways to keep themselves busy after professional retirement. It is therefore important to start planning for that exciting phase of life sooner than later.

While it is difficult to accurately predict what one will do in the future, I have made a bucket list to which I will keep adding items throughout my busy phase of life.
My first priority will be spending quality time with my family. It is too early to determine how and what that would be, because it all depends on who my family is at that time, but I imagine I will be able to spend more time with my spouse, and I would have grandchildren to play with and read stories to. I have a fascination towards teaching, and I may be able to become a home tutor for them.

Beyond that I intend to take up an activity as a hobby rather than for money. It does not matter what field the activity is in as long as it holds my interest and keeps me busy. This will be followed by pursuing my hobbies.

Astronomy is a topic of great interest to me, which is why I intend to visit various parts of the world which offer great locations for deep sky observation. I am also a great fan of trying different cuisine, and studying different cultures across the world. All of these activities can potentially be combined with a world tour agenda, where each year I explore at least one new place in the world.

I have always aspired to be a good artist and have interest in drawings and paintings. At this point, I am not planning to make it as a full time career, though I intend to keep this as an active hobby throughout. I think at the age of 64, if I get some free time, I will be able to focus more on this hobby. Who knows, I might be able to host a few exhibitions of my painting work and skills.

Apart from just pursuing personal interests and hobbies, I believe it will also be time to give something good back to the world. I intend to join or lead at least one such group which are dedicated to serving certain causes of the society. There are numerous problems in the society today – global warming, animal cruelty issues, diseases that need to be eradicated, women safety, literacy etc. which are in constant need of manpower. It is difficult to predict exactly which of these I will choose because the choice will depend upon the need present when the time comes.

One important criteria to achieve all the aspirations I have in my bucket list is to try and maintain a healthy body. This can be possible only through regular exercise and a healthy diet, both of which I will ensure I don’t neglect.

Thus, according to me, the age of 64 is going to be the beginning of a new and exciting phase of life, which can be embraced gracefully with the right attitude and positive mindset. We must remember that the word “old age” does not mean a definite number in any dictionary. We become old only on the day we start considering ourselves as old. If we have a healthy heart and young mind, we can prepare ourselves to make our life better. This new phase will only make us stronger and bring along a sense of joy for the inner self, which is what is really needed to make our life successful and more worthy than worry.