Another Step

I remember when we were still living in The Little Brown House on 62.  I brought in the Alliance Review one afternoon and saw my Grandpa Henderson's picture on the front page.  Before I could read the headline or the article, I said to Mom, "Hey, look at this!  It's Grandpa Henderson!" Her response?  "What happened?  He didn't die, did he?"  

I thought that was an odd response because I never thought my grandparents at that time were close to being of dying age.  The article actually highlighted my grandfather's career and congratulated him on his retirement.  I was very proud of him - he was the first person I really knew who was...retired.  (and after I thought about it...wouldn't my mother have known if her father-in-law had died long before his picture appeared in the paper?)

Maybe it's because of Mom's response to seeing Grandpa's picture in the paper that I associated retirement with being close to death.  I should know better.  Many people live for many years after their retirement.  Some accept the offer of an "early retirement" package, then secure another job and retire again.  Dad did that with leaving Babcock & Wilcox in 1973, then Diamonite in Shreve ten years later.  I followed in his footsteps without really knowing it when I took advantage of the Rule of 85 when my years of teaching (33) and my age (55) totaled at least 85.  West Central gave me a retirement package plus I was able to draw on my benefits from the Indiana State Teachers Retirement Fund.  After 10 years at Ivy Tech, I can also draw from the TIAA/CREF retirement fund.

People retire at earlier ages often, then pursue another venue of a similar career choice or a different track as they move through their adult years. Often this time is after the children are grown and move out of the house into homes with families of their own.

But still..there are steps. Milestones, maybe.  Rites of passage.

The Retirement Fund.  Yep, that definitely is one.   Check that off the list for ISTRF but not for TIAA/CREF yet.  I am still sitting on that one, building up the interest a little more until I start to draw it.

Social Security.  That was a new concept for me and hard to accept.  But the money coming in on the second Wednesday of the month (for me) and the fourth Wednesday (for Gary) is very nice and evenly spaced.

Membership in AARP?  Yep, got it!

Medicare and supplements.  Ugh.  That was a hard one.  Necessary but difficult to accept.  But in the end, it's just insurance.  We have cards. We use them.

Senior discounts - at various places.  At first it bothered me when I was just given the discount at Arby's or Taco Bell or another place-no questions from the person behind the counter, just an assumption that I was ....old.  Now it doesn't bother me.  Why?  Who cares as long as the price is lower?

Today there was another perk.  Or step.  Or milestone.  Or whatever you want to call it.

The Senior Pass to the National Parks and Historical Centers.  The lifetime pass is $10, but that price will rise to $80 at the beginning of September.  Because we want to go to Mt. Rushmore and have aspirations to explore other areas of the country where this pass might become useful and save us some money in the long run, we drove to The Dunes Visitors Center north of Chesterton today.  

The line was not long - only two people in front of us.  There were several behind us however.  The process was easy.  Driver's license?  Check!  Print the name?  Check!  Signature?  Check!  Tuck license back in wallet?  Check!  Sign the back of the pass?  Check!  Pay the $20 for two?  Check!  Walk out!

Easy, peasy!  And who cares?  I am not old!  I am just retired!