Whatever you wanted

What can it be

Did somebody tell you

That you could get it from me

– Bob Dylan

When is the best time to retire? When do you choose to hang up your boots? When do you take a bow and step away from the arclights for good? Is there ever a best time? And if there indeed is, who decides what is the best time? You, or your boss? Of course if you are one of those lucky ones who doesn't have to deal with a boss, you would have to take that call. But what if you can't? Who would you trust to make that decision for you?

Then again, if you are the boss, and there's really no one else with the authority, legal or otherwise, to tell you what to do, what do you do? Because the ball has come right back at you, and it is all on you. And you will have to choose. Decide. The question is can you?

Now let's say you can. The question then is whether you will act on that decision. Right now, the world knows of at least one man who is grappling with what is at the core of these questions: step down or carry on? He is, they say, the most powerful man on the planet. He can sound the bugle for an invasion. He also has the power to stop an ongoing war. And yet, he can't decide? Just imagine... Apparently, his party is still rallying behind him, even though a sizeable number of folks who matter think he should probably make way for someone else. The problem is they can't seem to find that someone else.

And so... we are back to square one: When is a good time to retire? Ask those who have and they'll tell you it's not that difficult a decision really? Most people I know believe in chronology, and cometh the anointed hour, say, the 60th birthday or so, they willingly walk out into the sunset. That's the done thing, they say. And they do. Then there are those who are forced out. Well, there's not much they could have done about that anyway. So what they do is retire, the rich ones take up golf, while the others cook.

The real problem is with those who do not believe in birthdays. They want to hang on, telling themselves, most often kidding themselves, that they are still good enough to stay on. Again, the problem is that those around them don't agree even though they may find it difficult to spill the beans.

Net net, these guys, the ones who don't believe in birthdays, stay on.

The question then is, who is right in their assessment? What if the ones who believe they are good enough to stay on are actually good enough to stay on? Why then should they bow to the judgement of others? And so they don't.

There's just too many questions when there's talk of retirement. What about some answers then? They lie wrapped in the questions themselves. So keep asking. Then maybe you'll find the voice to sing: I did it my way.