With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot has changed in our lives. Some have lost their loved ones and possessions, and some have lost their jobs. Also, some deliberately isolated themselves from the outside world for fear of the virus.
To be fair, in the preliminary stage of the pandemic, isolation and quarantine were severe issues for people of all ages. However, the incidence of the disease was more among the older generation.
So, many older Americans quit their jobs to stay at home. Many even retired to protect themselves. However, it has impeded the life of workaholic Americans.
The Struggle Of The Workaholic Americans In The Pandemic: Ms. Kim Williams, a 62-year-old lady, hailing from Waterbury, Conn and several other Americans fell victims to this situation. The story of how Ms. Williams struggled to keep working shows her passion for her work.
Actually, Ms. Williams worked for more than 25 years at the Hershey’s factory. She had an excellent remuneration there. But when the factory shifted to Mexico, Ms. Williams had to start studying even in her forties. Also, she earned an associate degree in hospitality and became a supervisor at a hotel. But this new job paid her much less.
Then, in June 2020, the year of the pandemic, there was a change of plans. Ms. Williams quit her job and retired. The savings she had in hand were not enough to pay the bills and insurance. Many others fell victim to this financial trap of the coronavirus, similar to Ms. Williams.
The Aftermath Of The Pandemic: So much happened in a year, and then the international disputes came into being. Consequently, there was a rapid rise in prices of essential commodities, inflation, etc.
Most importantly, the galloping fuel and gas prices have affected the mass. Foods and general stuff became expensive even at Walmart and Target. The Real Estate market became even more costly.
Even though many institutions and businesses closed down, so many lost their jobs. Jackie Anscher, a spinning instructor at a fitness studio, said, “it was more like a forced retirement.”
Most people had suffered from depression and mental health issues while at home, relying on their retirement savings. But at one point, the savings had started to thin out. So, many Americans decided to cut some slack and return to everyday life where they could earn their bread.
The fear of the virus still resides among them, but the necessities of life and the tough call to buy their own bread have brought many back to their feet. The recovery could be depicted better in the 55-64 age brackets. In fact, the fraction of this group working in April of this year is reasonably equivalent to how it used to be even before the pandemic.
The Wise Ones Know What To Choose: Likewise, the 62 years old Ms. Williams has joined the AAA. She says she is too young to retire, so she had to return. And to be fair, everyone must cherish this kind of spirit. Retirement is a choice you can make at any point in your life. But it should never be a forced decision.
Whatever the purpose of rejoining the busy life, be it for money or passion, you must never show aversion to work. It is the food for your soul and will keep you fresh and lively no matter how much older you get.
If a vending machine is kept unused for long, it builds rust at one point and can no longer serve anything. The rust makes the device unfit for use. But if you keep using it, working it, it will continue to amaze you with the things it can serve! The machine remains fit for work too.
Similarly, you will lose your enthusiasm for work if you sit idle for long. You will lose all kinds of motivation for life and lose interest in everything. It can cause an exasperatingly negative impact on your physical and mental health overall. So, never stop working!
So, register to ‘Age Brilliantly’ to have an insight into how you can organize your future and make healthy decisions. Also, you may fill out the forum to participate actively in this “Postpone your retirement”-propaganda.
