Retirement

Retirement. It seems to be what so many people are working for, striving for..., saving for. Every day on the news they are talking about retirement funds, IRA's, social security, and all the other things adversely affected by the economy and all kinds of politics. Some work their whole lives with very little to show for it, while others seem to live more comfortably in retirement than they did when they were drawing a salary. A vast industry has been built upon the retirement of others. Retirement homes, centers, assisted living, and nursing homes for when health begins to fade in old age.

He had not prepared at all for "retirement". He had never thought of retirement. He had just done his job, day in and day out, without argument or complaint. Whenever he was called on, he completed the task at hand, went on about his business until something else was asked of him and, like always, he delivered. He was very good at his job and so there was never a question, at least in his own mind, that things would just continue along as they had, he guessed, forever, or until he decided he didn't want to do it anymore and moved on, but that had never crossed his mind as a possibility either. So when the day came for him to arrive at his new home, he was not at all happy. The decision had been made for him, without asking or even letting him know it was coming. He was just taken to his place of retirement and left there. It was like getting in a cab and saying,"Central Park cabby" but instead, he takes you to Newark, New Jersey, and makes you get out there as if that's where you wanted to go. At first he was confused. He looked around and assumed he'd forgotten where he was going and then he realized he hadn't forgotten anything, he'd just been taken to the wrong place. He turned around and tried with all his might to catch the driver before he got away but he was too far away and driving down the road before he could get his attention. He turned and trying to fight the urge to panic, he tried to survey the lay of the land. He saw others, some gathered in small groups, while some were off to themselves. He milled around a little to see if any of them might be friendly. About that time, a man came and brought him something to eat. He said, "Here old fella, maybe eating something will make you feel better. You're probably wondering what you're doing here and why." "That," he thought to himself, "was an understatement."

He nibbled a bit on the food put before him but still wasn't sure about how this was gonna work out. After a while he began to mill around with some of the others until they began to show themselves friendly enough to make him feel as welcome as he could under the circumstances. As his first day of retirement came to an end, he watched as the sun set on the western horizon and wondered if some terrible mistake had been made. What if that were so and the ones who knew him and loved him were as worried and confused as he was? Could they be looking for him or scared for his safety? He wondered and pondered it all as he drifted off to sleep. It was dark but the moon was a sliver of light and the stars were bright. He awoke in the night just long enough to get a drink of water, look out to the stars amid the darkness and then try and sleep until dawn. As the eastern sky began to show a little light he tried to decide what to do. But, much to his amazement, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He spent the better part of the day making friends with the others and checking out for himself who was and wasn't in charge. He played some games with a few of them and then rested near a tree in the shade for a short while in the afternoon. The field below the tree where he rested was covered in beautiful green grass, lush and thick. The field sloped slowly down to a nice quiet pond that only slightly rippled from the light breeze of the afternoon. It was early spring so the aroma of trees blooming and wildflowers filled the air. He wandered down to the pond and looked out over the rippling water. Some of the others gathered near him and they all had a drink. They slowly wandered back up the hill toward a large red barn and as they got closer, they heard the honking horn from a pickup parked near its big doorway. He recognized the driver as the man that fed him the day before. As he got out of the truck he got a big bag of oats from the back and poured most of it out in a long wooden trough along the inside of one end of some corrals. The wood was chipped away in an uneven pattern where horses had been cribbing at the soft wood. It looked as though someone had taken a chainsaw and carved away at the front edge of the whole thing. He and the others all followed him into the corrals and lined up at the trough to have their share of the oats. He didn't know who the man was or if he owned this place or was just in charge, and he would never know. But it was obvious the man cared for all of them and took good care of all the other horses here and so he was sure the man would take care of him as well. It's hard to quit and go out to pasture for many horses. Some just sul up and give up, not living very much longer. He was sure that his owners had good reason to retire him and though he was scared and upset at first, he was settling in a bit. It really wasn't a bad place after all. He didn't have a chance to chase cattle anymore and no one ever rode him again. But he remembered the times when he was the pride of the ranch and was sold for lots of money time and again. He remembered the trophies and ribbons and buckles he'd won for the men, women, and even some children who'd ridden him over the years. Those glory days were over for him now but he was not done yet...not completely. He could still run a little ways before tiring out and run he did. As the wind blew through his mane and he flared his nostrils, it was like he was young again. He would live out his days on this beautiful place. Those who had owned him over the years still told their stories and showed off their buckles and trophies to people for years bragging about their own glory days. Most of them never even thought or pondered themselves about his whereabouts or what had become of him. But the man that fed him every day along with all the others, eventually came to care deeply for each and every one of them. On the day the old horse breathed his last and was buried in the ground, it was he, and only he, who shed a tear.