|
How To Retire Without Money
By Bob Belmont
CHAPTER 3
WHEN TO RETIRE
Page 4 of 7
Jim Sadsack
had a high school education, spent a couple of years in the
army, then looked around for a job. He had no particular
training so he wound up wrapping packages in the Army Supply
Depot in Topeka. It wasn't a bad job, as civil service jobs
go. After a while he'd worked up to the point where he had
about $350 take home pay a week. That was no great amount,
prices being what they are, so Jim picked up additional money
by delivering brushes for door-to-door brush company salesmen.
He was able to net about $1500 a week on this, working three
or four nights for three or four hours.
Over a period
of several years he managed to accumulate quite a bit of
property most of which he was still paying for in installments,
admittedly, but still he had the use of it. A nice car, a good
TV set, a fairly adequate wardrobe, comfortable furniture in
his apartment, air conditioning. Of course, he didn't have
much time to enjoy most of them what with his two jobs and
what with going out with his girl Millie two or three times a
week.
One day Jim
saw an ad in a national publication suggesting that it was
possible to retire while still young, and since the
information was free, Jim laughed and gambled a stamp. The
information that followed was interesting enough so that he
sent for the book and finally even got around to reading it.
In fact, he read it and reread it, over a period of several
years. It was one of his greatest methods of relaxation when
he became particularly tired, or disgusted, with life. He
could always sit down and read about how it was possible to
get off the treadmill and start living. Read examples of how
others had done it. He sure got a lot of vicarious enjoyment
out of reading that book.
Every time he
read it he told himself, all over again, "Shucks, I could
do that. It'd be a cinch. I'm young. Got a few bucks in the
bank. Don't even have the responsibilities that many of these
people who've retired had. Shucks, I could do it."
But he never
did. Inertia had him. He just couldn't get around to taking
the necessary steps. Just couldn't get up and do it. But he
continued to read and to tell himself, "Shucks. . . ."
One day a
friend called at the apartment, saw the book and wanted to
read it so Jim told him to take it along but to be sure and
return it because he was thinking of doing what the book said
and he wanted to read it some more. So the friend took it
along and after reading it, loaned it to another friend. And
Jim never saw it again.
Period.
§
As I've said, this book is not meant for Jim Sadsack and his
type. It's not meant for the vicarious adventurer nor the
person who dreams of retiring but is afraid to take the steps.
There's no
call for any such fear. This can be done. It has been done. It
is being done every day. The real security (to the extent it
can be found at all in this world as it is) is to be found
within ourselves, in happiness and in a full life free from
the pressures of the modern scene, and is there if only we'll
reach out to take it.
>>> CHAPTER 3
WHEN TO RETIRE Page 5
|
