Is the Mail’s Tom Utley right to be terrified he’ll ‘die of boredom’ on retirement?

LIKE Tom Utley, who is ‘terrified [he’ll] die of boredom’ (Mail), I wasn’t looking forward to retirement. I had seen my own father and my father-in-law, after quitting work, sitting around listening to the radio or watching television, totally bored, just ‘waiting for God’. However, having retired myself aged 65 (I’m now 84), I don’t know how I found the time to go to work! I have several interests (some charity involvement, some

leisure), and a constant demand from family and friends for my advice and skills. It’s nice to be needed. So, Tom, look forward to your retirement and I hope you have many years to enjoy it.

keiTH Fenn, Harrogate, north Yorks. PleAse, Tom, reconsider your full retirement. my fridays won’t be the same without your column, and all the research shows a phased retirement is better for your (and your wife’s) mental health. lYnne BroWn, Gravesend, kent.