I am 67, and most of my friends, like me, are working. Either they are much younger than me or they can’t afford to retire or they just refuse to. I don’t think about it much, but I met a guy on a recent trip that made me rethink what life can be all about.
It is 7:30am and I am at the Metro-North train station in Beacon on my way to New York City, when a guy sits down next to me. Don’t know his name but he had a very interesting story to tell. You know how it is …you’re both waiting for the train and you talk about the weather.
“Is it going to rain today?” That’s a joke because it has been raining all week and probably will rain next week too. But that’s not the interesting part.
He asks, “Are you going shopping in the city?”
“No,” I reply. “I am meeting with puppeteers today. And where are you going?” I ask.
“I am going to my kids in Jersey to babysit with my grandkids while their parents go to a wedding,” he replies.
“How many grandkids”
“Seven.”
“Where do they live?’
“Besides New Jersey my others live in Milwaukee.”
“What you do for a living?”
“I left the rat race,” he says with a smile. “I keep myself busy with the ‘honeydo’ list.”
“What’s that”
“You know..’honey will you do…” I do single jobs for people, mainly women, who are now widows and can’t do for themselves. I am lucky that I have learned to do things around the house.”
“Where to you live?”
“I got rid of my house and my car and my health care is taken care of by the Veterans Administration. Those are the biggest financial responsibilities we have. I have rooms all over the country…cape cod… although I haven’t been there in a while. I was just down south. I travel all over on behalf of breast cancer research. And I live for my seven grandkids.”
The train pulls in and we say good-bye.
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Yes, I think at different ages over 40, people stop to rethink their lives. Whether you’re 49 or 69, something happens, or maybe nothing happens, but you look at where you are and wonder.
It’s good to see that man you met on the train happy and alive to enjoy his grandkids. Better yet, he is able to reflect already how much he is enjoying his life and that he chose the way he lives now for all the right reasons!
Thanks for sharing, this, Terrie.