Dear Papa,
I
am little fidgety as after a long time I am writing something to you. But I
found this mattering much to express my feelings through this letter. Few
things written words can express better!
Papa,
you are going to depart from your office life very soon, the life which you
have been living since you were only 18. Its nature’s law that everything that
starts comes to its end and now has come the time of your retirement from this duty,
which you have been doing since last 38 years!
I
still remember your first interview experience that you shared with me. You
were only 18 and selected for a dream job of that time. This job has given you
so much; your pride, your confidence and the sense of responsibility. With this
job, you were able to give wings to your siblings and family members. I know
you have always been an honest employee of your company. Because of that, you
gained so much respect and fame there. You are a well-known personality among
thousands of employees. Your jolly nature brought you close to many of your
office mates who are your friends for a lifetime now. You worked so hard to
support and rise your family. Your work gave you the impudence to invest on
many good things in life. And all thanks to your job, you were able to promote
your daughters to dream about bright futures and careers. But, you know, I
still find it funny when Amma says that her father agreed for you because you
had this renounced job, else he didn’t like your family :)
Papa,
I am not sure if you are prepared for this day or not. You might be having some
inner conflicts as well. And I am still unsure how you would be feeling that
day. But, I can understand! We often make our work our identity and the purpose
of life, especially when we have nothing else to look about. And when
retirement comes we think that the sand has slipped from our hands and we can’t
do anything now. But Papa, the clock is always different for different people.
Some people think the day has gone, while some other think they still have the
night. Someone graduated at the age of 22 but waited 5 years for his dream job.
Someone became a CEO at the age of 25 and departed at 50. While, another became
a CEO at the age of 50, and lived and worked till 90. Someone is still single
while others got married and have a family. Absolutely everyone in this world
has their own clock. And it’s always in our hands to keep this clock going.
Retiring
from this work is the beginning of your next job. Now you have to complete
those duties that you were never able to do while doing your job. Spend quality
time with Amma. She likes traveling but due to other more important things in
life, you both never went on any long trip. So, go explore the world with her.
Give water to your hobbies and passions. I know you enjoy gardening and
farming. Flourish this hobby, become a new generation farmer. And, you also
like writing na? You only wrote all my school debates and speeches. Why not
pursue this whim being a blogger? Someone who can awesomely write about culture
and mythology, believe me Papa, you’ll be unbeatable then.
Okay, enough of
preaching you. All I want to say is, don’t see your
retirement as an edge of your life. Take this opportunity to prove yourself.
Prove this world that retirement is a change of pace, not the end of the road.
Keep on your journey with new people, new work, and new aspirations. While
financial security is certainly critical, you need to amass more than money for
a successful retirement. See it as an opportunity for new goals and
accomplishments. Just because you will be retired from one career does not mean
you can’t start another. Did you noticed Papa, Obama retired at 55 and Trump
started at 70? And the founders of McDonald’s, Coca Cola, and Kentucky Fried
Chicken were all over 50 when they established their businesses. So, it's time
to take that off ramp to your new life and new interest you may never have
known you had.
STAY
HAPPY, STAY YOUNG PAPA. WE ARE WITH YOU ALWAYS!
Love..
Awesome.. Love you didi :)
ReplyDeleteThank you Sonu :)
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