I have made a number of posts on the topic of ethically building security for our old age. But thought I would go ahead and copy-share this, which I wrote in response to a fellow middle-aged woman in the Transformative Adventures group who asked people to share their thoughts/plans for retirement.
My plan is to continue what I am doing now: only earn the bare amount of money to pay taxes and home repair expenses and other basic expenses, and tithe to my community.
My occupation “sustainability educator” will see me through the rest of my life, as it has various aspects. I love my work and am not into the “retirement” concept.
As I get older (I’m 60 now), I don’t expect to be doing as much of the vigorous outdoor component of my landscaping work. (I already mostly serve as a referral service to young entrepreneurs who are just getting into eco landscaping.)
But I will be continuing to teach and write and make art and so on. For as long as I live. Another way I earn income is by renting out 2 bedrooms in my house at very very modest rates, just enough to cover expenses and have a small fund for emergency repairs, hurricane prep/cleanup etc.
I consider having housemates to be under my “sustainability educator” umbrella. And it brings me deep satisfaction to provide housing security to people especially in this day and age of housing crunch.
Of course Social Security will help with income also, if that program still exists by the time I’d be collecting Social Security.
Medical: in a few years I will qualify for Medicare or Medicaid which will take care of some medical bills if I have them. But my main plan is basically pull the plug if I am incapacitated. I have already instructed my siblings in writing about this. And if I am conscious and get some super dreadful expensive disease, I will choose some form of voluntary death.
Or it is possible that I might choose to try to pursue medical treatment, if my small savings was enough to cover it and/or I could get the money for surgery etc. through sales of my books or what have you. That too is to me a realistic option. I am still always prepared to choose voluntary death if the situation warrants. I do not consider myself a civilian, and whatever happens to me happens to me within the line of duty.
On this topic of death — I am a death doula in training, and I find that this aspect of my work overlaps greatly with my planetary activism.
My main focus is on living a deeply meaningful life right now, and helping my community as much as I possibly can.
It’s a joyful and rewarding existence, and tomorrow is never guaranteed.