Where Do You Start?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently. Since I started reading the works of Alan Watts, I have found that I am questioning my own thoughts and ideas. In a positive way, I have found that I’m stepping back and looking at them, seeing if they are actually plausible and if they are actually going to be completely controlled by myself, because if they aren’t, I can’t be relying on them.
Take my retirement for example. In the U.K we work until we are 67 if you’re male. I for one, would be surprised if It was possible for me to do this due to my mental illness. I am however, presuming here I won’t be able to work until 67, and we all know that presumption is the mother of all fuck ups!
To be honest though, I’d like to retire at 60, 55 if I can, and enjoy the last years of my life. We never know when we are going to meet our maker, but I’m still hoping to be here having a pint celebrating Definitely Maybe’s 75th Anniversary in 2069!
I started to put money away into ISAs. The unfortunate thing about retirement is that you have to have money to get by as your state pension is pittance, and then there’s the possibility that we (people my age) might not actually get one as the treasury shrinks and we have to be vigilant about spending, speeches on austerity from our beloved Queen Liz in her £1million hat next to her gold grand piano. Times are hard for her too. Or so I’ve been told.
I save £150 per week. £7,500 per year. 22 years to go until I hit 60. £165,000. No mortgage to pay. £165,000 savings in 3 different ISAs. Brilliant. Or so you would think!
52 weeks in a year. Let’s say I live 25 years. That’s 1,300 weeks. With no state pension benefits, I’d have £127 per week to live off.
I also receive my benefit monies for the Bipolar and I have set that aside separately but I’m not sure if I can retire at 60 and be able to live. Sure you’re going to slow down and relax, but still.
Fundamentally though, everything that I am worried about is gloriously meaningless because the future doesn’t exist, only the present.
Live for the moment x 💙
My Bipolar Perspectives of a Unipolar World 