Thoughts about Retirement

I don’t think I will ever experience true retirement.

 
In 2021, I retired from federal employment after 38 years of service but I am still working. My pension is mostly paying for our health care. It helps but certainly not enough to live on.

So you might think social security is next? Not if our politicians have anything to do with it and gut it even more. Now they have made retirement age 67 for me since I was born after 1960.

401(K) or Other retirement savings?
After a divorce and drops in the stock market, there isn’t a nest egg there either.

I am resigned to the fact that I will have to work until I can’t work anymore. It’s just reality for me. We have to live and you can’t live on less. I don’t know how much longer that will be for me. I assume that if my health holds up that it will be another 10-15 years.

I try not to dread it but there are days I get tired of working. The positive of my current employment is that I work from home which I am so fortunate to be able to do. It kinda feels like a retirement since I can be home and not be away for 8-10 hours each day. I also work a lot more than I did in an office environment.

I actually like working for my current employer. I like being a part of changing technology and doing my part for the team. I will probably be with them as long as they want to keep me.

Here are some facts about Retirement in the United States:

• About 52% of working Americans ages 18 to 64 (nearly 76 million workers) lack access to an employer-provided retirement plan.
• The average actual retirement age in the U.S. is 64, while current workers expect to retire around age 66.
• Nine out of ten people over 65 receive Social Security benefits, which average roughly $1,900 to $1,976 per month Annuity.org. Many older adults rely on it for 30% to over 50% of their total income.
• About 59% of current workers plan to work or earn income in some capacity during their retirement years.
• There are roughly 58 million Americans aged 65 and older, a figure projected to grow to 82 million by 2050.
• Social Security serves about 90% of adults over 65, providing an average monthly benefit of $2,071 as of early 2026.

According to SmartAsset.com, To live in the United States, an average American single adult needs a baseline gross salary of roughly $40,000 to $50,000 to cover minimum basic needs, while studies show it takes a pre-tax income of at least $80,000 to $106,000 a year to live comfortably.

According to data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, the minimum required income for a single individual to cover basic necessities (housing, food, healthcare, and basic transit) without any savings or discretionary spending is roughly $30,000 to $45,000 a year, depending on the local cost of living.

So, as you can see, for MOST people you have to either work to live or retire and stress if you have saved enough to live out the rest of your years.

Football Friday Night: Week 9

It was strange that all of my teams were off last week. They will all be back in action this week.

With the regular season winding down, I will list my teams' Post Season Ranking (PSR) and who they would play in the first round.   The PSR is a new thing that the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) is using for playoffs instead of the region standings they have used in the past.  It's a dumb system.

WARNER ROBINS (5-2, 3-0) vs. OLA (6-2, 3-1)
Warner Robins has won three straight games before their two-week bye. They won their last game against Locust Grove 38-0. This week they host Ola. Ola shutout Locust Grove 37-0 last week. This one could be a test for a very rested Warner Robins team. Warner Robins is 2-0 in the all-time series, winning their last meeting 28-27 in 2023.

PSR ranking:  #17 

If playoffs started today, they would play at Cedartown in the first round.

VILLA RICA (5-3, 1-3) at DALTON (6-1, 2-1)
Villa Rica desperately needs a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. They have lost two straight including a 39-19 loss in their last game against Allatoona. This week Villa Rica plays Dalton. Dalton demolished Woodland 62-6 last week. Villa Rica leads the all-time series 3-1. They won the last meeting 34-28 in 1991.

PSR ranking:  #30

If playoffs started today, they would play at North Oconee in the first round.

CLINCH COUNTY (4-3, 1-1) vs. LANIER COUNTY (0-7, 0-2)
After being upset by Mitchell County 12-10 two weeks ago, the Panthers will try to get things back on track this week against winless Lanier County. Lanier County lost to Irwin County 49-14 in their last game. The Panthers lead the all-time series 28-0 against Lanier County. They won last year's meeting 48-0.

PSR ranking:  #14

If playoffs started today, they would host Wheeler County in the first round.

Thoughts About Inspiration

I haven’t had much inspiration to post anything lately. My inspiration has been running on empty.

Life does that to you sometimes. It drains you. All I can do is put one foot ahead of the other. I call it pushing through. Not all days are easy in life.

Unfortunately, I have tied my emotions to platelet counts. I have obsessed with results from blood labs. I know better.  It has zapped my inspiration. How can I write things to inspire you when I don’t even feel it myself? I’m not going to fake it. You would see right through that.

I have had my share of Christian cliches and Bible quotes but honestly those aren’t helping me. I’m not the only one who has asked where God is in all of this?

If He’s building my character then I have obviously not had much to work with. Why would He concern Himself with me anyway? Who am I?

We all search for answers during the difficult times in life. We question our faith and the reason we believe in the first place.

I will be honest with you, I have wondered this week if I have believed in all this my whole life for nothing. Shocking I know but this is life in the valley. I hear the voice asking where is my God now?

Christian singer Franni Cash released a song recently called “Honest to God” which has been some of what I’m feeling. The chorus says:

Honest to God
It's been a long night, been a hard fight
I'm barely making it through
I need someone I can lean on
Can I really count on You?
I'm down on my knees, I wanna be
Honest to God

Throughout my life I have had to be many things to people. It’s a lot. I want to inspire people with a real God for real life but what do I do when I need it? How do I inspire myself?

I can’t even pray now. The best I can do is to sit in silence. There are no magic prayer words to pray. It’s hard to be in this place.

So, I’m sorry that I can’t inspire you right now or encourage you to be a believer but this is an honest time that real people go through when there are no easy answers. The only thing I can do is to go through this season in life.

During this season, I have often referred myself to the passage in 1 Samuel 30:6:

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.