Wisdom of the years

As I was driving into work today, trying to think of all of the things I'd rather be doing other than actually going to work, my mind drifted, as it will, to what will I be doing later in life. Will I ever really retire? Will I have enough money for retirement? Will Social Security still be around?

I'm not that old, only 45, but I still wonder about these things. But then I thought, I will probably work until I can't work anymore. Its just me. I had my first job at 12, working as a laborer on a construction site with my brother. My brother was 15 and upset that I was making the same amount of money as he was. He got through it. The coolest part of the job, other than making money at 12, was driving the dump truck around the job site. A Ford F-350 Super Duty. Trust me, to a 12 year old, this was heaven.

Back to the present... or rather...the future. Now I finally get the title of those movies! What will I be doing in the future? Will I retire? I have always worked. It would be nice to think that I could laze about with nothing to do. But I don't even do that on my days off now. Boredom city is coming my way. Ok, so I won't retire. Maybe a Wal-Mart greeter? I could do that. Hand people shopping carts all day long until I needed my nap. Give me a depends and I could be there all day long. No, I'm not making fun of older people. Its reality. As much as I don't want to believe it, the body just doesn't work as well when we get older.

But what about the mind? My father is 85. He is on all kind of medications for diabetes, heart, etc. and THOSE impact his mind a bit. When he wakes from dreams, he sometimes is still in them, remembering people or times from the past as if they are the present. My father retired from being a family practitioner at the age of 73. He told me once then, that he could still do the job, but with medicine, people's lives are at stake. And you don't know, what you don't know. And what if he mis-diagnosed, or gave the wrong prescription and someone got hurt? He made the decision to retire then. So, while enjoying his grand children and his life with my mother, he has spent the next 12 years living.

One thing I noticed though in this living, was an... adjustment. When working, my father was THE family doctor in the area. When he retired, they made him the Grand Marshall of the 4th of July parade! He had over 30,000 families that had been patients of his. Families, not individuals! He had been president of the local medical association. He was KNOWN!

Now, he's just the cute, sweet old man that walks with a cane. I wonder about those 12 years though. His 12, my 12, and everyone else's 12. All that knowledge. All of that experience. All of that everything. And then the business side of me kicks in. All of that resource! All of that experience! How can that be taken advantage of and provide people some ability to LIVE, to stretch their minds, and who knows... perhaps get some supplemental income on the side!

So... here goes... what about a brain trust? A knowlege bank? A question answering or thought provoking service? Or just thoughts on issues in general. Like how should we address global warming? By asking people who have lived, gained experience and seen life from beginning to end. They are no longer tied to the need to gain income or experience, but have the Wisdom of the years... perhaps... we could use this blog as a view from the edge... to tap into that, the Wisdom of the years.

Let me know what you think. Let me know if I'm out here on the edge all by myself. Its ok if I am, I've been here before.