How retired persons keep themselves busy

The usual pastime for retired persons is to go for morning walks, preferably in the company of other retired persons. The trend is for existing retired persons to scout around for others in the neighborhood who can be inducted into their fold. The general logic is – the more, the merrier.
If one eavesdrop on their conversation one would realize that it hinges mostly around specific topics like health and service life interspersed with sighs about the son who stays far away or the daughter who wants to be near them but just cannot do so because of her family obligations.

It is strange that even though all of the retired persons know that the distance between dreams and reality keep widening and can never merge, they create make believe situations to justify their loneliness.
Yes, loneliness is the single common factor that binds these elderly men and women who have devoted their life to raise their kids but are unable to enjoy their company because the world around them has changed. Every one of them is in the rat race and, driven by ambition, they do not have the time to share their feelings.
Of course, those who dish out TV soaps do not accept these – that is why in practically every family drama, we get to see joint families which is, in reality, a figment of the imagination.
Well – after their morning walks, they return home to sip their cup of tea and glance through the daily newspaper or switch on the TV to get the audio-visual version of the news with a battering of jingles and ads to spice up the day. For the religious minded, there are TV channels devoted to their cause.
Then comes the session meant for breakfast and medicines – both are equally important. But, even though the inner self might pine for the choicest spicy stuff, the actual intake is far from spicy. It is the desire to live that overrides all other desires and one is confined to foods that taste awful but are said to be a balanced diet of necessary amounts of proteins, vitamins and other nutrients that the body requires.
After a noon siesta and a cup of tea to pep oneself up, it is back to the couch and the TV remote to devour another TV soap or a reality show that appears to be very unreal – with the participants mouthing specifically designed sentences. (to be continued …)

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