I was 65 at 6.05 this morning. I know the time because I have a twin, and so the time is on my birth certificate. We were 130 not out between us at 6.20 this morning, since he made it into the world 15 minutes after me.
I do not, of course, feel any different for hitting the age at which throughout most of my life it was thought that old age began. That is technically 66 for me now. But it remains the case that all the pension arrangements I have ever been involved in did think that this was the day when I put on my slippers, started smoking a pipe, and began playing a little gentle golf to while away my years.
I won't, of course, be doing any of those things. I will be carrying on working. I suspect I will never stop doing so. The idea of a life without writing is, for me unimaginable. I carry on doing so when on holiday, which is why no one ever notices when I am away. Why, then, should I retire?
That said, I have been surprised to note some changes in my attitudes towards work, largely since long-Covid hit me. I now know that it is unlikely I will stay in academia for more than another five years, when I will have delivered my last impact case study.
I have also decided I will probably not get involved again in another project-specific grant of the type I am working on with Copenhagen Business School at present. I have enjoyed them but I now enjoy doing social media more. That one expires at the end of 2024.
And I even think that I might give up applying for grants altogether over the next few years. I will see, but I suspect that by the time I am 70 I might give them up and the demands that they make.
However, recognising all that is indicative of thinking on my part akin to Tony Benn's suggestion that he gave up being an MP so that he could do politics. If I gave up specific funding it will be to release more time for my own thinking and writing.
There is a reason for saying that. Being 65 reminds me that I am finite. There is less time to come than there has been. I want to enjoy that time. Some will be spent pursuing my three other passions (my family, birdwatching when walking, and railway history and modelling) but I have no intention of giving up my other great passion, which is the pursuit of economic justice. If I give up some types of funding over the next few years that will only be because I want more time to spend on the work that I want to do with less time required to meet deadlines imposed by someone other than myself.
Saying this, I know that I am lucky to think that might be possible. I have had five days in hospital in my life. I have no chronic conditions. I take no prescription drugs on a regular basis, which I gather is unusual at 65. I am reasonably fit and can still run if I have to, although I prefer brisk walking. That said, I have realised how debilitating illness can be: long Covid demonstrated that. I know I need time to take care of myself too, and I will.
But, adding all that lot together what I conclude is that the intellectual interaction that this blog (plus my family, friends and colleagues) supply is fundamental to my future. The challenges that they create give me purpose, and the blog is certainly a big part in that. That is why I appreciate the support people provide to it. And precisely because that support means that I know I can look forward to enjoying being busy doing something I enjoy, and which others seem to think worthwhile, then I can treat the whole idea of retirement as something that is unlikely to ever be for me. 65 is just a number. I'm choosing to ignore it.
If moderation is slow on the blog today, please forgive me. I'm going to be out for lunch and much of the afternoon.
From my wife this morning, as if she thinks I might care about numbers (😊)
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Happy birthday Richard… and to your twin brother.
Thanks
A very happy birthday to you! You are an inspiration in many ways. I hope you continue to provide the factual arguments behind the shared concern that exists for economic justice. I’m 72 now and, yes they are just numbers, but the secret to longevity (my mother is 98) is not ignoring the numbers but adapting sensibly to the changing circumstances they bring. And that doesn’t mean pipe and slippers! Many happy returns.
I hope I have that plan: it is why I will cut down on the deadlines other projects impose over time
Happy Birthday. Have a great day.
It’s true – age is just a number (though some days I do feel mine:-) ).
Craig
My wife (a retired doctor) reckons anyone over the age of 50 who does not ache in the morning needs to check if they are still alive.
Ha ha, morning Richard, big thank you to your partner (for saying about aches!!!) and very many happy returns – I was 64 last week and am in a similar frame of mind and health, and like you, just as grateul for that.
Fab stuff re social economic justice, great stuff, really great stuff.
Thanks
I’m over 50 and, yes, definitely there are aches every – some days in more places than others 🙂
Craig
🙂
Happy birthday Richard and to your brother.
Please keep up your excellent work.
Many happy returns to you both. Let’s hope that’s not the best news of the day.
Happy Birthday to you and your twin, Richard.
I hope you enjoy your day today and the many I hope that will follow, doing what you love and sharing your insights with the rest of us.
Many Happy Returns of the day to you, Richard, and to your brother! My twin and I turned 70 last September, and I am the elder by ten minutes, which I think is significant, but he does not! 😀 We are identical twins, but my own twin children (now almost 37yrs old) are not, one being male, the other female. I was once asked by someone AFTER I mentioned them being boy and girl, if they were identical!!
Enjoy your day!
🙂
I bet you get asked ‘What’s it like to be a twin?’
I never know how to answer. I have never been anything else.
My brother and I are very unalike but I love him dearly: my world has been better for him being my twin. That is all I know.
Happy birthday!
Free bus pass next year – assuming there are still some buses worth catching where you live. But you could have had a pass five years earlier if you lived in London, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
And the French are protesting to keep their retirement age at 62, with the president forcing the change to 64 by decree over the wishes of the people and the parliament. (Not so different to our executive railroading its undesirable legislation through our parliament.)
I already enjoy the senior rail card
The bus pass will be a bonus
But should it be means tested? I think not. Shouldn’t ‘t we instead cut the cost of bus travel for everyone?
I think all of these schemes are available on proof of age, not means tested, and that is a good thing (but I am prepared to be corrected – still thankfully some years until I qualify, even if the knees are not what they once were!).
Yes, we should reduce the cost of bus travel, and rail too. And improve the frequency and reliability of services, not least for environmental reasons. The UK does rather badly at integrated public transport compared to many other European countries.
Happy birthday, Richard. Maybe you will have more time to work with weownit to sort out bringing buses back into public hands in East Anglia, although East Anglia pays less in profits to shareholders than any other area of the UK.
https://weownit.org.uk/public-ownership/buses
I support WeOwnIt, but there will be no chance of other projects as yet
Happy Birthday to you both
Thanks
I liked Bob Hope’s quip – “When I get up in the morning the first thig I do is read the obituaries. If I’m not in them I shave”.
Enjoy a good lunch, Richard.
🙂
Happy Birthday to both of you!
Thanks
So young!
Happy birthday. This blog seems more or less unique – and inspirational .
The idea of ‘retirement’ is just not feasible – even if one is not getting paid.
Before the pandemic, I used to get the sleeper to Scotland to get up a ‘munro’ or two at least once a year around the solstice. On a high top I almost trod on a clutch of ptarmigan chicks – if that counts as ‘bird watching while walking’.
Enjoy your day
That sounds like a dangerous version
Mine is five to seven miles with pack on back and binoculars at the ready. always
I shall no longer refer to you as ‘young Richard”.
Happy birthday to you-and your brother.
Thanks
Many happy returns to you and your brother.
It is strange, isn’t it, how the ‘milestone’ birthdays are still celebrated, even though they are no longer milestones. 21 and 65 are indeed just numbers now, but they used to mean a chaneg in life with the ability to vote and compulsory retirement.
Why is it that the ONS only counts economic activity for those aged 16-64?
For continuity
Happy birthday Richard. Enjoy your day. I’m 68 and working full time out of choice because I still enjoy it! There’s lots to do and achieve even at this age.
Agreed
Happy Birthday! It’s just a number! I still work and trail run, my 62 year old youngest brother still does international triathlons. Onwards!
Indeed
Richard. Wishing you a very happy birthday and many more to come.
As regards the future I would say just make the most of whatever life has in store. I started collecting chronic conditions when I hit 60 and now, 11 years into Parkinson’s disease, the daily tablet count is well into double figures and ambitions are somewhat curtailed but without all that I would probably not have found your blog which helps to keep my brain active and motivates me to do my little bit to challenge the orthodoxy for which many thanks.
Sorry to hear that
I count my blessings
Go as well as you can
Happy Birthday! There is a lovely little film called The Mule , starring Clint Eastwood aged 90 , directed by Clint Eastwood aged 90 , about a man who unintentionally becomes a drug mule at 90. And the song in the film “Don’t let the old man in”.
And don’t ever go for the pipe and slippers.
🙂
Happy birthday, Richard.
Enjoy your lunch, and perchance a decent ale or two this afternoon.
Happy Birthday! and thank you for this brilliant blog. It has been my go to read most days since I first came across you talking about the Joy of Tax at Cambridge Literary Festival, and am consequently infinitely better educated. While I find the news unbearably depressing what I love about this is that you are always solution focused, and when recommending to friends ( which I often do ) I always explain that it’s hopeful, not depressing, because you do have realistic solutions. So glad you’re keeping on!
Thanks
Happy Birthday. Have a great day ! Your energy and commitment in the cause of both social and economic justice are very evident and I hope you continue to have the appetite to write and broadcast for as long as you can.
Happy Birthday Richard. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on reaching this age as they are very similar to those I had when I hit 65 a few months ago.
Fortunately I do not have long COVID but I have not been as active online (or elsewhere in a work capacity) for some time.
However, like you, it is hard to imagine I will ever stop completely. It’s far too much fun and I get a great sense of satisfaction when my articles, blogs, talks and interviews are identified as having helped someone gain clarity and/or to do things more positively and successfully afterwards.
Thanks Mark
Good to hear from you
Happy Birthday Richard! I hope you are having a great day – it is special whatever the government things regarding pension entitlement ages etc. One thing though – maybe it’s better if you only see this the day after, not viewing blog messages on your celebration evening, although I know from experience that blog posts can be compulsive viewing! Your writings are a source of continued learning along with the many valued messages posted by others on the blog (good and bad – they all help to understand better the situation we are in!). All the best, Bob
Thanks
Happy Birthday, Richard, and welcome to the 65 Year Old Club!
I must confess that I am somewhat envious…….
You share your birthday with the greatest of my favourite composers, good old Johann Sebastian Bach, 338 years old today.
I share mine with John Lennon……….
Have a great day!
Now that depends on the calendar you use
But I will take it
A bit of a Bach fan. My mother was a music teacher and organist. Bach was always there
Mind you, so was John Lennon, although my mother was never convinced
Happy birthday to you and yours Richard!
Thanks
A bit belatedly, but no less sincere for that: Bonne Anniversaire Richard
It’s many years since I passed 65, with mobility now much reduced due to a rare slowly progressive myopathy affecting mainly my legs, but thankfully mentally alert and just one pill a day to control blood pressure.
I retired at 63 essentially because my husband, obliged to retire early for health reasons, needed me at home more. After he died a year later, I was happy to return to work for a short while as my expertise in mathematical modelling could not be easily replaced, but retired for good when I moved from a house with stairs (increasinly difficult to manage) near Paris to a one-level ‘longère’ in Brittany.
Then came the 2008 bank crisis by which I was personally affected (having – as an ‘expat’in France – sterling funds with KSFIOM). My work on behalf of the depositors lead me to this blog, from which I have learnt a great deal over the last 13 years and which I continue to read daily.
So a big thank you Richard for all you do. I hope you had a good day and will continue to enjoy good health.
I have had a rather good day
Thanks for sharing your story
Happy birthday Richard, somehow an equinox birthday seems appropriate, I don’t know why, lighter days ahead? who knows? Like you I am 65 in a couple of moths but have no intention to retire, still love plumbing and building and thanks to your blog among others I still learn many things daily , So in a manner I am still a student.
John
A great way to put it
Go well
Richard