Still not quite ready.

NI stopped working 10 years ago. I’m now 72 (chronologically speaking). I’m still undecided about retirement. 

Firstly, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with it. From what I read, older people seemed to be intent on travelling, doing bucket lists, meeting other older people, saving the planet, looking after other people’s children, living longer, talking about the past and telling the same joke over and over again.

Not that there’s anything wrong with all that.

But wasn’t that what I was doing before? 

And why is it that old people look so good on the internet and are always smiling at each other or me? When I look in the mirror first thing there appears to be little to smile about.

ive had to drop the mirror a few cms for a start, just to see myself. and it ain’t a pretty sight. I read with some disinterest in the place about knowing if I our partner is having an affair. I suggested this reading to my wife. She laughed until her sides hurt. 

“You?”, she quipped. “Not likely.”

i has all my hobbies when I was working. They were therapy to relieve the stress of working. Now I’m not working I feel as if I need a stressful hobby.

ive travelled all my life. The places I haven’t seen aren’t really worth seeing.

im not really interested in saving the planet. It seems if I don’t use a plastic bag from woolies I don’t see many different. In fact, things seem to be getting worse.

i was more interested in old people when I was young. They were interesting (although they had a funny ‘old’ smell. Now I’m old and smell like that I’d like to mix with young people but they think I smell. 

I have 6 jokes I can tell well. You’ve probably heard them.

im to big on babies. They seem ... hard work.

My doctor as well as my therapist, wife, daughter, grand daughter, great grand daughter, neighbour, even the postman, tell me I need to get out more and meet people. So, I’m thinking of buying a motorbike.

im not grumpy or being negative, I don’t think. I’m just trying to figure out where I fit in the end of life phase.

feel free to assist.

tom

 

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The dingo1 yr ago

https://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/the_meeting_place/post/centrelink-wait-times-grow-again 

 "A couple of years ago I retired. I applied to Centrelink for an aged pension.

after 3 months of long waits at the local office, longer waits on the phone, lost documents, errors, and mishaps I finally 

received my entitlement.

my wife decided to go back to work for 6 months so my entitlements were stopped.

at the end of the 6 months I mistakenly thought that my pension would start up again.

not so. The entire process of application was to be done again. even the paperwork submitted before hand had to be resubmitted because they couldn't find my old records.

5 months later after more mistakes, miscalculations and mishaps on their part I was back to my pension with all backdated funds paid in full.

i kept a record of all phone calls during my negotiations; all 34 of them. None had me on hold for less than 43 minutes. The longest was 46m then put on hold for another 78 m while they transferred me to another department.

i eventually made a complaint and my case was taken to Level 2. Apparently that's the place to go to get things done. 

The first thing the person said when I spoke to level 2 was "I apologies for the unfortunate delay. We have been extremely busy"

My response was lengthy and firm but polite. It amounted to telling the supervisor that I had received more than enough apologies over the past 5 months and I wasn't interested in getting another one. As for being busy, so was I. In spite of being retired I don't sit around on my arse reading the paper and drinking cups of tea. In addition I'd spent a good working day a week over the last 5 months conversing with Centrelink. Perhaps if Centrelink would make less mistakes, loose less documents and provide me with a Mygov link that actually works they might not have been so busy.

it is very fortunate that I have a local office just 5 minutes drive from home full of very helpful locals who are quite understanding of someone who doesn't understand the system fully, has made every effort to comply, and is patient enough to sit on the phone without abusing someone.

that may well be the case but the cat sure got a beating."


Tom The Dingo 

It is interesting how the time flies in retirement

...is it 10 years or a couple of years ago that you retired  ??

 

 

What is your point Suze? The dingo is not cruel and hurting people...he is not a bully. Give him a go.

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