I’m 60 years old this year. I’m hoping my job lasts until I’m 68, when our mortgage is over. But I can already feel that both mental and physical abilities are not what they used to be.

My mother retired from nursing at 60. She just could not handle the 12-hour shifts at the hospital. Had she been allowed to work four or even eight hour shift, she would have stayed on for a few more years. Many occupations are designed for younger people. Employers are not that flexible.

I’m from Canada, so we don’t worry much about health care costs. I have a flu these days that doesn’t seem to want to disappear. So every week, I check in the doctor’s office to make sure the flu is not going in a pneumonia way. If I had to pay $50 for each visit, I just might make these visits, increasing my chance of getting pneumonia. I don’t understand USA’s aversion to public health care.

I have interacted with average Americans for a couple of years on the internet. You people have some serious issues with good governance. You might be interested in a new kind of democracy.

Occupations that people love to do have a high supply. Writing is one of them. I keep hoping my book will become a best seller some day, but reality says not to quit the day job.