100 is the new 60
I used to think my parents would enjoy their retirement the way couples imagine themselves when they tie the knot — whether my parents thought of that then or not — to stick together for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to simply stay happily together, until their hair turn white as in the famous OPM song. Clichés sometimes work, but not for my parents.
After around 20 years of marriage, my father left us for another family. Now, Mama Malou, who’s turning 60 this month, is nearing retirement age without the man who promised to stay with her forever. She used to cry buckets whenever a wellmeaning friend mentioned the name of my father or asked her how she was. But after some years, she finally overcame the pain of being a “single parent” and a “single grandparent” since my younger sister had her first child, Hannah, Mama’s first apo. My mother recovered from the grief, and something in having grandchildren — there are now four of them now, three with my sister Michelle and one with me — gave her a reason to carry on and redeem her happiness and glowing aura.
In short, Mama now busies herself — too much, in fact — by babysitting her grandchildren, or should we call them, pseudochildren. Mama keeps saying that these next-generation children are worse boneheads than us, her own kids, but we’re certain God sent these spoiled creatures to replace her previously boring routine of cleaning the house and waiting for her kids to arrive home. Although, she didn’t have a smartphone to play games or pass time on Facebook before my eldest niece was born in 2009. Mama now looks younger than her 59-year-old self (with all
honesty and no exaggerations, Ma) and is more than excited to have her senior citizen card to get discounts and freebies, including movie passes. She even admits that it’s been a long time since she became excited to celebrate an upcoming birthday.
Of course, our top birthday wish for my mother is good health and, therefore, a longer life — my gratitude to recent studies claiming 100 will be the next 60, thanks to scientific breakthroughs. With supercomputers becoming even faster and more powerful, optimistic people can’t wait to see how these technologies apply to themselves, literally, and extend today’s folks’ lifespans and “healthspans.”
That would possibly mean working after reaching 60 years so you could fund yourself till you’re 100, but with a longer life full of growth and opportunities, what’s not to love?
Preparing for retirement, whether it’s 60 or 100, is crucial but it’s not about money alone. Everyone dreams of the best retirement scenario — to live a purely organic and peaceful existence in the lush beauty of Batanes; or spend the rest of your life in first-world countries, where there’s better medical attention to senior citizens, although there’s a high probability that you will land in a retirement community or a nursing home; or leisurely enjoy a perpetual staycation, maximizing longer quality time with your grown-up children and extended families. It’s nice to note that the Philippines is one of the countries where parents can count on their family to care for them in their old age.
When that age comes, when you’re done with the demanding office work, beyond the rat race and rush hours, modern retirees will tell you that it’s not the beginning of the end, but a new beginning with new possibilities.
Working part-time, gardening, traveling, doing volunteer work, exercising, rediscovering old hobbies, etc. — there’s an abundance of activities that would make the new chapter in life all the more rewarding. Some retirees are excited to finally find time to go back to the university and pursue a post-graduate course because, after all, education is a life-long journey.
To Mama, we love you and we wish you a happy birthday. And to all the retirees with grandchildren, Happy Grandparents Day!