The Question Retirement Never Answered

“The most important part of a story is not how it begins, but how it ends.”

Most of us were taught how to start life.
Study hard.
Get a job.
Build a career.
Save enough.

But very few of us were taught how to finish.
We were told that if we did everything right, there would be a reward at the end. That reward was called retirement. Stop working. Rest. Enjoy.

It sounded simple. Almost too simple.

And for some people, it works. They retire, feel relieved, and finally slow down. I am not here to argue against rest. Rest matters.

But for many others, something strange happens a few months or a few years later.

What disappears is not work.
It’s identity.
The role is gone.
The title is gone.
The reason you once gave yourself to the world is gone.

There is no reason to get up early.
No problem waiting to be solved.
No one really needs you in the same way anymore.

There is rest, but no pull.
Freedom, but no calling.
No one is waiting for your input.
No one is relying on your experience.
And in that silence, a small question settles in.Is this it?

P.S. I am the author of 'Life After 65: Make Your Final Lap a Grand Finale'. Check out my bookstore at https://payhip.com/samchoo