After decades of hard work, you are now due some ‘me time’. Rather than an indulgence, think of this pampering as a reward and cashing-in a few chips earned over a working life!

This is TOYL – The Time Of Your Life!!! ENJOY IT!!!

This can be anything from a city break, a day or two at a spa, dining out or going to the cinema or theatre and remember you might even get a mid-week special rate or a discounted matinee ticket!! So what ever you do, schedule some time for a well-deserved treat for that most special person in your life – YOU!

   Didn’t get that gold watch on retirement? Well get one from you!

And a new car? Who cares about depreciation at our age and anyway don’t classic cars appreciate in value?

I read up on ‘pampering in retirement’ and came across an obviously very British site that suggested 4 ways.

1. Have a cup of tea. Really – life’s that good now?
2. Relax with reading. Books, who’d have thought of that! OK you have more time now and maybe pre-retirement you have made a list of classics and recommended reading, you may even have downloaded them onto your Kindle. (Have a read whilst travelling to your true pampering event if I were you!)
3. Listen to Music. Don’t we all do that after a stressful day at work or to relax at the weekend? Maybe an idea to boost your old record collection or get these digitally remastered albums on MP3 (If you don’t know – look it up!) But aren’t we lucky that a lot of the old bands have managed to keep going despite being older than us?! So, how about a Rolling Stones live concert? They must be due another ‘farewell’ world tour soon! (I saw them at Wembley in 1982 so as to not miss my last chance way back then!!)
4. Meditate – Oh yeah, you’re old now but hey get on down with the kids and stare into space and chant! (I’m NOT knocking meditation – I’ve even been known to sit down and do nothing now and again and it can be VERY helpful but for me it might even be part of a daily regime but pampering it’s NOT!)

I may be being a bit controversial here but, REALLY? This is pampering? Well, not in my blog! I’m thinking more along the lines of:-

pamper

/ˈpampə/

verb gerund or present participle: pampering

indulge with every attention, comfort, and kindness; spoil.

 

So, I may have been dismissive about 1-4 above so why not brew a cup of tea, put some relaxing music on and read up on that classic car/world cruise/Spa/Fancy Restaurant and then stare into space imagining it all – Om …. and meditate – Here’s the MP3!

 

OK let’s be clear – what may spoil me may not be your cup of tea and it’s not something you’ll find in a book – it’s inside us, that guilty pleasure we couldn’t justify when working. For me it can be a fancy restaurant. Not that I held back before, but a late booking on a Friday night after a hectic week can’t compare to a leisurely lunch taking time and not having to rush back – better still stay over and have a fancy breakfast too! Can’t afford the Ferrari? Why not rent one for a couple of days midweek? It’ll be just like owning one without the maintenance costs etc! I was pampered with a track day a few years back – Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar and an Aston Martin. Wow!!!– now that’s what I call a treat (for ME) I also joined a Classic Car Club – Old classics available for a few days at a time for an annual subscription – Great!!……..for getting classic cars out of your system – like us oldies they break down and are difficult to manoeuvre!

(I treated myself to a Jaguar E-type one xmas – at low speeds it drives like a bus and it was like trying to parallel park a tank – but get some speed up an hey we’re back to Great!! again!!) 

 

 

 

 

 

…or how about a cruise? Lot’s of pampering on these and you REALLY go places too!

 

 

 

 

I wonder if it’s a bit like gambling? Only spend what you can afford to lose – it’s not going to be a sensible investment and more like spending your children’s inheritance – After all you can’t take it with you!