After my mother’s death, I stopped visiting my hometown. I thought we would retire there someday, but it seems that we never will retire.

There are so many factors to consider. We will lose our insurance if we retire and have to sign up for Medicare.

Some doctors accept Medicare – it’s almost pro bono for them – but Medicare is reputed to be a slow payer, and not all doctors accept it.  My theory: you will never see a gynecologist again.  No, I’m exaggerating, but instead of a free annual physical, complete with gyn exam, for only a small co-pay, Medicare covers a gyn exam only every two years, with a 20% co-pay. No, I’m not keen on pelvic exams, or mammograms, but come on!  You don’t stop being a woman because you’re retired. 

My advice is, don’t ever get sick. Touch your toes! Run! Bicycle! So long as you don’t brood over the racing form, and go to the track to bet on the horses, you might break even.   Remember: you might win, show, or place today, and lose your savings tomorrow.

Why are the schools failing? Well, the teachers burn out. They are grossly underpaid, and teaching five hours a day five days a week is exhausting. The good thing:  many public schools offer teachers an early retirement package at age 52 so they can replace them with cheaper, young, inexperienced teachers. This is good for the older teachers, but it might explain the decline of our schools.

One exhausted, newly-retired teacher friend said, “I’d rather be a bodyguard than a teacher.” I could only think she had watched the Spanish Netflix film, Close, with action star Noomi Rapace as a bodyguard. My friend took martial arts classes and practiced archery every day, but nobody wanted a bodyguard whose choice of weapon was a bow and arrow.

Okay, I work at home. A home office? More like a messy desk and a computer. However,  it involves special computer skills, like attending Zoom conferences. Once, I had to look at the top of the boss’s bald head for an hour on Zoom. (Was it my camera, or his?) Another time, I forgot to hit the mute button while I was gossiping with a friend about a person we both agreed was “crazy.” Oops!  Thank God someone gently reminded me to mute before I revealed the details of her acrimonious divorce.

Part-time work would be ideal, and employers would save money, but they seem to have the notion that full-time people will be more efficient.  

But Hail, Corporate America!  I don’t run the world.  And thank God for leisure, retirement, and Medicare, and may we all have affordable health care!