Imagine the Tedium part I

If anyone has ever had a horribly boring job before, where you felt like you were doing nothing of importance, just menial and routine tasks day in and day out, contributing absolutely nothing to the world...just imagine for a moment being retired. Imagine having worked for 30, 40 or 50 years at the same job, providing for your family, and maybe not changing the world, but at least pulling your own weight. Then one day, it's your retirement day. All of a sudden, your purpose in life has changed. People tell you to "Relax! Enjoy your freedom!" but you still wake up at the same time every morning, drink your coffee, eat your oatmeal or eggs and bacon, and then just when you would normally be getting in your car to head to work or heading to the bus stop, you look around and realize that you have nowhere you need to be...nothing you have to do today. The kids have long since left the nest, your spouse is gone, or incapable or just too damn old and tired to want to travel or get together with other retired friends. Day in and day out, you look around trying to find a way to contribute to the world, but at every turn there is someone wanting to do it for you. It frustrates you because you are perfectly capable of doing it yourself...ok maybe not, but you are going to at least try. Then after a year or two, the tedium of retirement catches up to you. Retirement...pfft! Retirement was supposed to be your golden years, when you could sell the house, pack the RV and head across the country, or go on cruises around the world. But the stress your body has gone through after having done the same menial tasks for 30 or more years makes it impossible to enjoy being free. Aches and pains plague you, you cannot enjoy that wine tasting because your sense of smell is failing you. Your doctor is concerned about your heart, and having so much faith in the docs word, you follow the low sodium dietary restrictions, so there goes the taste of food. Your telephone can't get any louder without waking up the neighborhood, but you cannot hear high pitch noises any longer, as your hearing is failing. You pick up the newspaper every morning and struggle to read the tiny print...I swear the print used to be bigger. No it was never any bigger, your eye sight is failing you. I would like to go for a walk but it's so cold for May! No it is actually warmer than usual, only your skin has gotten thin and blood flows slower, and therefore your body has lost some of it's natural ability to regulate your body temperature...you get colder, faster. Maybe if we move to a retirement community, where we can meet other retirees and play bridge and go to dances and have parties with people our own age. So you do, your spouse kicking and screaming all the while, not wanting to rot at the death factory! So you get to this new life, a new apartment to decorate with all your old furniture but less space...no matter, it's a new beginning. Indeed. You go for your first meal and walk into the dining room and suddenly, you have a Deja vu...holy shit! It's the first day of a new school all over again! Where do you sit? With whom? Of course, just your luck, you choose a table with a single, old man sitting there. You go to sit in a chair across from him and you hear "I don't want you to sit there!" you reply "I'm really a very nice person." The old man responds "Well I'm not!" so you move on. Find a group of ladies who sound a little like a flock of birds, you sit and they welcome you. This is fine. It will be fine. Your spouse decided to stay home for the meal, bring something home for me! You spend your meals trying to keep track of the conversation that seems to be going all over the place. They cannot hear each other! You make it through the meal, somehow not choking on the piece of meat the kitchen tried to pass off as pork roast, though there is no amount of low sodium gravy that could make that into pork roast. You bring a to go plate with a ham sandwich and some potato chips for the spouse. It's 8:00 p.m. and almost time for bed. But why? I don't HAVE to get up at 5! because it is just the way you do it. Because it's always the way you've done it, and always will be.