A little over three years ago, I mused about retirement based on my dad’s work situation: “My dad has been at his company for 23 years. I’m fairly certain he’ll get to stay for another ten, or however long he needs to stay until retirement,” I wrote. I was wrong. Around two years later, he was let go. He had just turned 60.
The idea of the piece was that even though golden retirement watches aren’t a thing anymore, most people would probably do anything for the stability they represent. Today, the job market feels even less stable than it did back then. Big companies cut workers by the thousands due to automation, and white-collar jobs fall victim to AI day by day. I have friends whom it took 18 months to find a new job. And my dad was not only bereft of his golden watch, he didn’t even get to ride into the sunset with the company he had supported for over 20 years.
My dad doesn’t get shaken too easily, but this one, he chewed on. Who wouldn’t have? His age. His specialization in the adhesives industry. A small market of firms worldwide in his field, even smaller considering the small-town area in Germany where he lives. “Where do I go from here?” he wondered. We tried to support him as best as we could, but we all knew it’d take time, not least due to his severance negotiations, which dragged on for months.
One year on, when I see my dad, I can tell he feels much better. He had some time to adjust. Give his identity some breathing room. Not all plans are done and dusted, but I believe, in the end, he will receive something much better than either a watch or a retirement party: golden time. Between his severance, investments, various small pensions, and a new government scheme under which you can earn a reasonable amount every month tax-free as a retiree, my dad likely won’t go back to full-time work ever again. Instead, he’ll get to spend his 60s and beyond however he chooses. More hours. More meaning. It’s the biggest gift of all, and he ultimately gave it to himself.
Many of my dad’s colleagues burned out just before retirement. Others never made it that far or died a few months into it. Cancer. Accidents. Trauma. Nobody thinks they’ll be a sad statistic, but someone always makes the numbers. At 60, my dad is mobile, healthy, and can do a lot with his time. So why not take it? Why chase more rows in spreadsheets when life asks you to surrender, and, in this case, giving up is also giving?
I don’t know what position you’re in. But if the universe offers you a break, think twice before knocking away its hand. If my dad can find fun and meaning on a path he never chose to take, so can you. And who’d ever choose a watch over a beautiful, golden hour?
