18
W
hat it’s like to be retired?
I never actually thought it
through.
Entering the work force at a pretty
young age with the work ethics of a
woodpecker, the mere thought of a life
of leisure gives me the shivers. Sure, in
weaker moments of the past I dared to
dream of some vague time and place
in a future free of kissing bosses’ butts.
Then, suddenly, gold watch in hand,
I awoke to the nightmare of nothing
to do. Given absolute freedom from
work, from responsibility, even from
habitual counterfeit smiles for my
fellow drones, I was at once wide-eyed
and aghast at this new void filling my
life.
“Enjoy your retirement!” I was told, the
company door slapping me across the
butt.
“Enjoy?” Just the thought of leisure
RETIREMENT:
By Basdeo Ganpat
The joy of being me!
without penalty gives me the creeps.
I take unwarranted pleasure seriously.
Indeed, old workhorses like me see
pleasure as the slipperiest of slopes.
Why else would I choose to labor
when I could be basking on the golden
sands of Pigeon Point in Tobago,
surrounded by beautiful people, all
more or less naked? Or, I could be
travelling to distant places of our
planet savouring the various cuisines
and cultures.
I do because I find the idea of retired
relaxation about as comfortable as the
back seat of my foreign used Nissan
Laurel motor car. And when attempting
to dawdle around the house I am
sharply brought to my senses by my
spouse screaming, “That’s it! Either you
go do something or I’m out of here.”
So, what’s it like to be retired?
From age 50, when TTARP advertised
that I am now eligible for senior
discounts, senior tax help, and senior
moments, to now thirteen years later
when I realize that I am spending more
time at the Health Centre than with my
spouse; keeping busy engrosses my
mind.
Now I am a victim of a geezer version
of Parkinson’s Law; I wonder, “Where
does the time go?” as I hurry about,
tending a dozen projects of which few
are ever completed.
I don’t care anymore. I am now at an
age when, no matter how diligent and
harmless I may pretend to be, society
ignores me anyway, preferring that I,
with my wrinkles and my funky smell
simply disappear, if not from the face
of the earth, then at least from the line
in front of those at Kentucky’s.
In retaliation, I shake off my strict
upbringing and, by default, fall into the
freedom of being myself and loving it.
BEING ME: that’s the real prerogative
of retirement. It is where grace is
found.
So, I skip the guilt, leave salvation
to God, and go directly to the joy of
being imperfect, the joy of being me.
I
f you are preparing to take
your Driving Regulations
Examination for your Driver’s
License or need a refresher on the
Trinidad and Tobago Highway
Code, you will find all the
information you need on TTRegs.
com, a website recently launched
in Trinidad and Tobago which
provides users with information
relevant to the Trinidad and
Tobago Driving Regulations.
The site is free to use and features
full coloured Road Signs, the
Driving Regulations Exam Preparation Guide and allows
users to do any of the following:
• Read the Trinidad and Tobago Highway Code
• Study for the Driving Regulations Test
Mr. Anand Jerry Jr. Persad,
Creator of TTRegs.com
Driving Regulations Documents
Now Online at
TTRegs.com
• Take several types of Practice Tests
• Print the documentation related to the Driving
Regulations
The site was conceptualized and developed by Mr. Anand
Jerry Jr. Persad of Silverzip Corporation Limited (www.
silverzip.com), a web design and development company. It
provides a solution to finding the required documentation to
prepare for the Trinidad and Tobago driving regulation test.
One of the main benefits of using TTRegs.com is its potential
to save its users money from purchasing the required
booklets needed to study for their driving regulations test.
Other benefits include 24/7 availability, international access
to foreigners wishing to obtain their driver’s license in
Trinidad and Tobago, unlimited users and a lower carbon
footprint as the demand for the printed documents would be
reduced.
You can visit
for more information.
