MyLastOffice
Four years ago my company offered me a generous gradual retirement proposal: Work two years full-time and five years part-time. So I worked the last 2.5 years full-time for 50% salary (actually almost the same net due to some benefits and high tax rate in my country). Now this active part will end next week and I am free to go for the passive block, getting paid for more than two and a half years the same amount, technically still employed. Many people retire because they have to due to reasons of health, disability and other factors. In a real sense, those that are abundant do not make a decision, it is made for them. But I retire voluntarily, to start a second life. Having said that, even if I did, I did it for my own or psychological reasons. I was a consultant for a big international company, financially more or less secured; did not feel devalued or pushed out. Its getting boring, though, I have seen the world, run 24×7 projects, the last two years I was assigned to the headquarter. It is not that it just wasn’t interesting enough, but if I ever want the project life back, I can do it easily as a freelancer. I calculated, that I have to cut back a little, but can more or less afford to retire. I really want to have the leisure or freedom to do other things, and give more care to my father and my family. My 2ndlife – my retirement begins 20/12 /2013. Carefully planned, it is still a big step, feeling psychologically like my many cross border relocations: successfully planned but in retrospect: if the containers were sent and I board the plane it seems a bit unreal. I will report my last seven day – work in progress.
- Day 7: Saturday Last Weekend
- Day 6: Sunday Last Weekend with a Monday.
- Day 5: Monday Nice Go-Away party with about 100 people, gifts and good go away speech of my boss. Even flowers for my wife. Everybody dropped by personally and wished all the best up to the senior management. That was not a run off the mill rat-race department, but quite caring with good peer-relationships.
- Day 4: Loose ends
- Day 3: Wednesday, Last vacation day
- Day 2: Last vacation day
- Day 1: Friday, Giving back hardware Amex, having a glass a prosecco that’s it. I am free to go. Gray sky, with blue on the horizon.