So, I’m sitting with about 45 other seniors at an orientation session at the North York Geriatric Centre in November and trying to absorb two things: one, that I’m a senior citizen and two, that I’m in a rehabilitation program that could last up to 10 weeks. The first four are dedicated to an overall assessment of issues that I and other seniors like me will be facing.
Whoa! How did I get here? A bit of background to my situation:
About the end of August of this year, I was afflicted with sciatica and at the same time was having trouble with my “plumbing”. I had taken several falls and had some trouble with balance issues and was in a great deal of pain and taking some pretty heavy-duty pain killers.
I underwent a series of X-rays, scans and an MRI that showed no apparent heart attack or stroke (thank God) but they did discover that I had two cracked ribs and a crack in the sacrum (lower back), suffered during one of my many falls. Hence the terrible pain of the sciatica compounded by the cracked ribs and sacrum. The issue of the plumbing was eventually resolved as well so I won’t bore you with details of catheters and visits to the emergency department.
That’s why, dear readers, I didn’t have an article in the December issue of REM.
Happily, I’m back. No, I haven’t officially retired from real estate, but I’m taking sick leave from my brokerage.
Although my wife and family have gently suggested that I consider retirement for awhile now, I doggedly trudged on and never really gave it a second thought. But this recent illness has forced me to begin thinking about life after 45 years in this exciting real estate business.
Most of us, including me, have never thought seriously about retirement. Most of us, including yours truly, never set up a specific plan about retiring, establishing time frames and financial considerations that don’t include a steady income stream. Sure, over the years, like many of you, I’ve set goals and time lines to achieve them. Many of them I’ve attained, but somehow I never got around to really facing the reality of not being employed as a manager or a trainer in a brokerage.
Okay Albert, so what are you going to do now that you have entered into the Golden Age and are back on the road to full recovery? Well, I’ve gone back to painting. I’m getting involved in volunteer work, gone back to swimming at the gym and am really enjoying the regimes set out for me at the NYGH Geriatric Centre.
I’m still keeping my real estate license active but I don’t plan on being involved in a management role. I am considering registering as an independent brokerage so that I can freelance in consulting in the industry. My most daunting goal is to accept my lawyer’s invitation to co-author a book on our industry.
Reality sometimes forces us to face what we least want to see – the fact that we are getting older and may not be as marketable as we once were. Our egos don’t like the sound of the word redundant.
When I sat down and reviewed my life in real estate, I pondered whether I’d made a difference in people’s lives that I have come into contact with. I hope that perhaps I have done so. I believe, dear readers, that it’s not the money we make in the business, but the friendships we manage to carve out of our all-too-brief life on Mother Earth that are important.
I guess what I’m really all about here is that we take what is given to us as a sure thing. Take good care of yourself and your body will take care of you. The benefits outweigh all the other stuff that gets in the way of being of healthy mind and body.
Read about good things that prolong your life and lifestyle and take that advice to heart. Nothing is perfect in an imperfect world, but one can strive for perfection every day.
May this year bring you all your heart’s desire and most of all, peace in your life. I am truly excited about the next chapter in my life and look forward to sharing it with you.
Until next time we get together, have a great start to 2015!
Stan Albert, broker/manager, ABR, ASA at Re/Max Crossroads’ iRealty office in Toronto can be reached for consultation at [email protected]. Stan is now celebrating his 45th year as an active real estate professional.
