23/03/2025
To our beloved elderly and those nearing this stage of life, learn something from one of your own. Thank you for sharing your story and encouraging us, Uncle Frank!!!
On June 16th, I will be 73. Of those years, 55.5 have been spent in the media, complemented by three years as an ambassador in Italy. By all accounts, someone in my position would have long retired. Yet, I have remained, not just because I love what I do, but because of a haunting question that lingers at the back of my mind, what happens when the curtains finally come down?
I tell myself I will spend time with friends, but then I realize that many of them are no longer here. I turn to my children and grandchildren, only to remember that they have their own lives, their own families, their own concerns. And that’s when it hits me… I am alone in this. And I can tell you, loneliness is dangerous. It starts as an emptiness, creeps into your thoughts, turns into stress, and soon enough, it begins to take a toll on your health. You look in the mirror one day and see a lonely person staring back.
So why have I not retired? For these very reasons. But for those who will one day face this inevitable transition, how should you prepare?
First, ensure you have enough to live on, retirement without financial security can be a nightmare, especially in the current economic climate. Second, your health must become a priority. Eat the right foods, make healthy choices, moderate alcohol consumption or quit, like I have (not easy, but worth it). Exercise, even if it’s just walking or running twice a week. I do it, and I can tell you, it’s fantastic.
Then, nourish your soul. Find something beyond the routine of daily life, go to church, meditate, feed your spirit with what gives you purpose.
Finally, don’t disappear completely. I am not in fulltime employment anymore. I rarely go to my radio station. But I have kept my passion alive through occasional engagements. I present Let the People Talk once a month, and I have a few programs with Prime TV. It keeps me going, it rejuvenates me. Find something to do. Take up a class if you were a teacher, engage in light consultancy, mentor, teach anything that gives you reason to wake up with a sense of purpose.
Retirement is not the end, it is simply a transition. It can be lonely, yes, but if embraced with the right mindset, it can also be a period of rediscovery and fulfillment.
But let me tell you the truth, retirement is not easy. The silence can be deafening, the days can feel unbearably long, and the feeling of being left behind is real. That is why I hold on, why I keep going, and why I remind myself every day that life must continue to have meaning. Happy Sunday as you reflect on retirement.
