Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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I think the most important thing that anybody can do for their children is to give them a love for reading. I grew up in a house where reading the newspaper daily has always been encouraged, and more than that I had my Gran, who was a school teacher, basically tutor me up until when she died when I was in Std 4, which was a huge blow in my life. I have never written about my Gran before, but she was particularly influential in my life and I used to sleep at her house once a week and spent most of Saturday with her and my grandfather, who I think was her fourth husband. She was a very good woman and she died 6 months after retiring – for example, when I used to speak to one of my former staff members who had subsequently died, Abey, and he always used to tell me he was going to retire - I always told him that I am very nervous of retirement because one of the most special people in my life died immediately after retirement.
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Wednesday 14-Feb-18
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Comments
Sinead said:
on Friday 02-Mar-18 03:20 PM
I'm pretty sure many of us are scared of retiring one day. There's probably more that we're afraid of other than just retiring.
My gran passed away when I was in grade four and it still saddens me today. She was actually not even at the normal retirement age yet when she died - but she was close I guess.
We just have to keep active after retirement
Cornelie said:
on Wednesday 28-Feb-18 01:59 PM
Every person need to retire one day if you want to or not but I think they must up the retirement age in South Africa if you still fit why not work and the moment you sit still that is when you deteriorate.
courtney said:
on Wednesday 28-Feb-18 11:46 AM
I'm very lucky because my great grandmother is still alive. I love being with her. She always gives the best advice. Grandparent are the best.
Prishani said:
on Monday 26-Feb-18 05:26 PM
Retirement is a scary reality that I suppose starts sinking in at around the age of 50 for most people. I think when people are still young they work towards retiring and living the life of their dreams, but as it gets closer I think the nervousness sets in. It is really heart-breaking that so many hard workers don’t get to enjoy their well-deserved retirement!
patrick said:
on Monday 26-Feb-18 09:44 AM
one can always do with grand parents . they are such wealth and have all the best advices one can get .
Joyce said:
on Tuesday 20-Feb-18 04:59 PM
I think grandparents are a blessing in families, I think it is not nice experience when a family loses their loved ones. I think Grandparents have lots of love to their grandchildren and like spoiling them. I think most people die just after their retirement, so it is scary.
Helen said:
on Tuesday 20-Feb-18 09:20 AM
It is very interesting topic to talk about, bringing lots of memories about my gran and my mom as well. My Gran was looking after me and my brother when she retired and she was very happy to run around fetching me from school taking me to different after school lessons, but when my mom retired she has got very ill.
Michelle D said:
on Tuesday 20-Feb-18 08:19 AM
I don't think retirement should be feared. My parents recently retired and I don't think they have ever been happier. They now have the time and money to travel and brush up on all the hobbies they didn't have time for when they were younger. It's all about perspective. You just need to have retirement plans to keep yourself occupied and ensure you have enough money when you retire to fulfil these plans.
Jadine E said:
on Tuesday 20-Feb-18 06:49 AM
Retiring is a part of getting older and as well your body needing that break but majority of people have become accustomed to being busy for a certain amount of hours and when that finally comes to an end you feel as though your life is wasting and become more stressed that you now have so much time on your hands.
Thabitha said:
on Monday 19-Feb-18 09:53 AM
I think what is scary about retirement is sitting home and doing nothing, I will not retire to Johannesburg I will like Free State taking care of my grandchildren and helping old people.
Dune said:
on Friday 16-Feb-18 04:02 PM
My Gran is my everything, she will be turning 84 in April this year and she is still young at heart. When Shelby is sick then she is always the one that volunteers looking after her. Its the sweetest thing to see my gran and my daughter having an afternoon nap. I think that she is still young of heart due to her grandchildren, and now her great grandchild. The most special moment in my life was when she got on a plane at the age of 82 to fly down to Cape Town (she has never flown before) to come and meet her great grandchild 2 days after she was born, and for that I will forever be grateful to have shared such a special moment with such a special person in my life!
Daniella said:
on Friday 16-Feb-18 02:52 PM
My boyfriends gran always says if she had to retire she would die. shes now 75 years old and still working. I think that if you have always been an active person and you constantly keeping your mind active you will increase your life span. It really is quite scary to think about.
Michelle said:
on Friday 16-Feb-18 09:36 AM
Reading is extremely important and it should start from a young age. I must say that I'm very scared of retirement one day and I do not know what I will do a whole day without working.
Ashleigh said:
on Friday 16-Feb-18 09:36 AM
I think that what a lot of people need to realize is that you are not guaranteed even now that you will see the end of this day or even tomorrow. What I do suggest you do is live in joy and happiness daily no matter your circumstances and just appreciate your blessings. Why fear something that is unpredictable or inevitable.
Liz said:
on Friday 16-Feb-18 08:02 AM
This is a very interesting topic. I believe that life is about life long learning and staying busy. I can see the difference between my gran who retired when she was really young, her mind is not at all what it used to be and I believe that that is because she did not keep as busy as before. My grandfather on the other hand was still translating books from Latin to Afrikaans when he was in his 70's and his brain was as sharp as ever the day he died. Even if one decides to retire early, I believe it is about constantly stimulating your brain and staying busy.
Alexis said:
on Thursday 15-Feb-18 04:45 PM
It is not a nice thing. when my Gran went, and it was not far, you do not visit them as much and when you did and left they would be in tears as I am sure it got very lonely. I regret that very much and made sure to make an effort for my moms gran before she passed. family matters immensely and you should take care of them as they did you when you were young
Mathilda Du Preez said:
on Thursday 15-Feb-18 09:36 AM
Wow thinking of retirement is actually so scary, I’m scared of sitting at home and doing nothing wasting my life .Age is just a Number and I do not think there is a "right" age to retire
Ill probably work until the day my body says no more
When I one day do in fact retire I’ll go travel the world
That’s why I’m already making sure now that I’ll retire comfortable
Henrietta said:
on Thursday 15-Feb-18 09:11 AM
My opinion, it all about your mindset. Being positive and keeping yourself young. Both sets of grandparent of my husband is still alive, He grandad from his dad side is turning 90 this year and he still very active, yes his body is warning him of his age but that doesn't stop him not even when he goes for a drive. Dead comes to all of us, some don't even see a day older than 40. Me and my friend use to joke about growing so old and being in the retirement village and being naughty and telling our grandchildren stories of our lives. Who knows maybe it will still happen.
Sharne said:
on Thursday 15-Feb-18 08:15 AM
My gran is 78 and still not retired, Traveling to different places every time she get an opportunity, doing stuff she couldn't do when she was younger. I would love to do the same once I'm old.
Sarah said:
on Thursday 15-Feb-18 08:12 AM
Most people have no idea what they are going to do when they retire. Sometimes they end up retiring involuntarily (lost job and couldn't find anything and then throw in the towel). They have no hobbies, their friend circle is through work, and at times are missing on a support network. Work creates a daily routine that makes you get up, get ready and go
Zindy said:
on Thursday 15-Feb-18 08:04 AM
That is a scary taught, People start winding off when they retire I think that would be my time to shine and travel and do everything I wanted to before I die
Jessica Apfel said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 04:11 PM
An interesting stat that I cam across;
'After age 65, the early retirees have a 37% higher risk of death than counterparts that retired at 65. That's not all. People who retire at 55 are 89% more likely to die in the 10 years after retirement than those who retire at 65.'
These are some alarming statistics and it certainly seems that we should keep our minds busy for longer!
Jolene said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 02:27 PM
I absolutely love my Gran, everyone in our family always says I’m exactly like her. She is still very active, they travel all the time and enjoy their retirement to the fullest. I think you can enjoy your retirement, my grandparents set a good example for us.
Lucretia said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 12:36 PM
Death soon after retirement has been quite a common thing. To me, if you plan properly for your retirement and know that you are going to have exciting things to look forward too, that helps one stay around longer. Interesting podcast by Dan Sullivan, "Always have a future that's bigger than your past".
Bianca R said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 10:32 AM
I think that one has to ensure that when it comes time to retire, that they are not going to just sit and home and deteriorate. My mom is due to retire in 14 years and she is already putting effort into planning what she could take up, as a hobby or anything to keep her from just sitting around. I actually cant imagine my mom retiring because she has always been an extremely early riser and hard worker, she would never be able to only knit for example. I think the best thing that one could do is to look at managing a small business, but ultimately only reaping the profits and have someone running the business for you, just popping in every now and again but not having a stressful time.
Angelique Jurgens said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 10:29 AM
Our bodies are so use to working and keeping busy for almost 60 years of your life - the body probably gets such a huge shock. It is important to save for retirement so that you have enough money to look after yourself and still be able to do things. One needs to have things to do - as much as we would all like to stay home and "chill", you get bored very quickly. When you retire, you could decide to start learning again which would keep your mind active and then also ensure you keep your body active. Death is however, inevitable and I believe that it is already written in the books what you death date is.Grandparents are so special.My gran recently died and the last time she came for a sleep over I recorded a story of her telling me how she worked from the age of 11 and had to support her family as well as how she met my grandfather - I enjoy listening to that recording - so special.
fikile said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 09:59 AM
I think its better to have something to do before you retire, something like help the community when you are off from work or when you are just home on holidays and more, through that you will be able to know what to do when you take you retirement, at the same time it will help you to stop thinking too much, cause in most cases that's what kills people when they retire
Suzanne said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 09:57 AM
I think it's very true that you suddenly get much older when you retire, unless you keep your brain and body as active as possible. My mom turned 68 in January and isn't interested in retiring at all.
Tamaryn said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 09:21 AM
Both my grandparents retired at 50 years of age. I still think that is far too early to retire but my grandfather was in the police force and they recommended retirement at 50 for everyone at that time. They moved to the South Coast and enjoyed 30+ years of retirement there.
Megan said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 08:59 AM
Personally I wish I had a closer bond with my grandparents before they passed. I never got to hear much about the work they did or even when they retired - I can only hear when family talk about them in the past tense. I'm sure those who retire are tired but some still capable, I would never underestimate the older generations.
Clare said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 08:51 AM
This is a very sad blog, I'm I have see a lot of families lose someone dear to them on retirement I think that I makes people shout down and sad so they give up and want to pass on. Its sad I don't want to see my mom go on Retirement.
Nina said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 08:41 AM
I believe it is very important to make sure you have enough hobbies before you retire. Especially people who worked very hard and did not take a lot of time of from work. I can imagine that a lot of people get depressed if they feel they suddenly do not have enough reason to get out of bed in the mornings. You need to start working on your hobbies early on in your life.
Bianca N said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 08:38 AM
Retirement is something that I am a bit scared of, because of the fact that it is a part of my future of which I am uncertain in terms of what I will be doing all day, how my life will be and if I would have accomplished the things that I want to accomplish. Retirement to me feels like a constant reminder that while I still have the time and ability to work, that I need to do my best and really focus on growing and making something of myself career wise before I don't have that privilege anymore.
Jadine Richards said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 08:14 AM
I think that there are two sides to the coin. On the one hand one needs to have something to wake up to every morning. A reason to carry on...there are of course other reasons besides work but its a pretty good one. On the other hand, there comes a time in ones life when you deserve to relax and enjoy a simple life where you don't have anywhere to be or anything to do.
david said:
on Wednesday 14-Feb-18 07:57 AM
unfortunately, i think that as soon as a lot of people stop working, their demise is hastened. quite frankly i am glad to have a job to come to. what the hell would you do all day, with nothing to do???
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
