Living in Lockdown: Finding Fulfillment In A Life Bound By Limitation, Lessons for Retirement

Just a few weeks ago, life in Ghana was a normal routine. Street preachers assembled their P.A Systems as early as 5:30 am, trotro mates shouted at their usual rhythm, signalling to potential customers their destination. Market women bustled as usual, struggling to sell their wares.

Truth is, dark clouds were still hovering over our heads then, we just did not expect it to catch up with us so soon. Lockdown was still a very unfamiliar parlance in Ghanaian Society. We were probably more familiar with the term “curfew” which gained prominence in the revolution days.

Eventually the whole pattern of life that we had become accustomed to, started to crumble right before our very eyes. The European football leagues that we loved so much began to play behind closed doors, eventually moving into hibernation. Sports betting followed consequently, leaving punters without their source of “easy money”. Countries began to impose travel restrictions, causing great inconvenience to people whose livelihood depended on travels. Churches and Schools began to close, signalling to the most stubborn of persons that these were not normal times.

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Almost two weeks into the lockdown imposed by the President, one thing remains clear. The once vibrant and limitless city life is now bound by restrictions. Friends can no longer meet after work to “crack bottles”, pubs and hotels are no longer open to the public. Life has almost ground to a halt, especially to those who are not used to staying at home. Suddenly we are all confronted with the same reality; “Home is where we truly belong”.

This new reality is proving to be a very tough bargain for persons who hitherto, had failed to invest quality time into building their family relationships. Fathers whose children are more used to their absence, Husbands whose usefulness are more felt by their absence, and Wives whose husbands wish they did not have to experience the hell of their presence every day. All these categories of persons probably have come to the realization that this lockdown is not the sort of holiday they envisaged.

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Yet this lockdown and all the boredom it presents is nothing compared to the period after retirement. When it finally drums home that the days of youth are exhausted and all that remains for the rest of your life is a family who share no genuine bond with you.

Just as lockdown caught up with most of us unaware and unprepared, so will retirement and its related issues catch up with us eventually. It is very important that we utilize the unexpected time afforded by this unfortunate situation to catch up with our children, mend our broken relationships with our spouses, and most importantly, make deliberate efforts to save money towards that dreaded but inevitable period of retirement.

It is even more important that we become mindful of the truth succinctly captured in this instagram post by actress Beverly Afaglo.

Indeed the time to start saving is NOW!

SOURCE: GhanaCelebrities.Com