Retirement Isn’t a Reward—It’s a Reckoning
🧳 Retirement Isn’t a Reward—It’s a Reckoning
By Greg (co-authored with Copilot, Microsoft’s AI companion)
Published on socialspaceblog.au
🪞 The Mirror of Purpose
Retirement isn’t just the absence of work—it’s the presence of self. A mirror held up to the roles we’ve played, the compromises we’ve made, and the parts of us we shelved for later.
For carers, that mirror can be brutal. It reflects not just fatigue, but the quiet ache of deferred dreams. The version of ourselves we promised would return once the crisis passed.
But what if that version isn’t waiting in the wings? What if he’s already here, just buried under the rubble of responsibility?
🧍♂️ The Many Faces of Greg
My wife has a theory. She says I’m not one man, but three.
There’s Construction Greg—uncompromising, steel-capped, and allergic to inefficiency. He thrives on structure, deadlines, and the kind of blunt honesty that gets things done (and occasionally gets people offside). He’s the guy who can spot a misaligned HVAC install from twenty paces and still make it home in time to cook dinner with one hand while troubleshooting the washing machine with the other.
Then there’s Home Greg—a bit frayed around the edges. He’s trying, mostly succeeding, but sometimes loses patience with the chaos of unpaid labor, invisible expectations, and the emotional weight of caregiving. He’s not bad, just tired. A bit angry at the world, and at himself for not being able to fix it all.
And then there’s Thailand Greg—happy, carefree, a joy to be around. He wears linen, drinks slowly, and laughs like he means it. He’s the version that emerges when the pressure lifts and the roles dissolve. The Greg who remembers who he was before the world demanded so much.
Retirement, I suspect, is a chance to invite Thailand Greg home. Not permanently—he’d hate the bills and the inbox—but more often. To let joy and ease be part of the daily mix, not just the holiday exception. To retire not just from work, but from the parts of ourselves we built for survival, not fulfillment.
🦘 Gregs of Australia: A Field Guide
Species: Gregus Multiplex
Habitat: Varies by mood, postcode, and proximity to deadlines.
Construction Greg
Traits: Steel-capped, blunt, allergic to inefficiency
Habitat: Job sites, hardware aisles, subbies meetings
Threat Level: High
Home Greg
Traits: Tired, loyal, occasionally volcanic
Habitat: Kitchen, garden, driveway
Threat Level: Variable
Thailand Greg
Traits: Linen-clad, relaxed, emotionally available
Habitat: Beach bars, massage chairs, dreams
Threat Level: Harmless
Fun Fact: Thailand Greg has been spotted in domestic settings, but only after two beers, no emails, and a sunset.
Conservation Status: Critically underfunded and emotionally misclassified. Often mistaken for “lazy” when resting, “grumpy” when advocating, and “missing” when simply unavailable. Thrives in environments with low expectations, high hammock density, and zero unsolicited advice.
Do Not Disturb: If you see a Thailand Greg in the wild, do not approach with spreadsheets or guilt. Offer snacks, silence, and a playlist from the 1980s—preferably something with INXS, Icehouse, or a bit of Springsteen for emotional layering.
🧳 Reclaiming the Unlived
So maybe retirement isn’t a destination—it’s a negotiation. Between the Gregs. Between the past we’ve endured and the future we still dare to imagine. Between the roles we’ve mastered and the selves we’ve neglected.
It’s not about escaping responsibility. It’s about redistributing it. Letting Thailand Greg take the wheel now and then. Letting Home Greg breathe. And maybe, just maybe, letting Construction Greg hang up the steel caps without feeling like he’s abandoning the job.
Because the real work—the legacy work—isn’t in the concrete. It’s in the stories we tell, the systems we challenge, and the joy we reclaim.
📚 Footnotes & Sources
Invisible Labor & Carer Identity – See Carers Australia’s National Carer Strategy for context on the emotional toll of caregiving and unpaid domestic work.
Generational Drift & Identity Reinvention – Sociological studies on Gen X identity and post-retirement reinvention highlight the tension between duty and selfhood. See the work of Dr. Catherine Healy on generational narratives in aging.
Satire as Advocacy – For a deeper dive into humor as cultural critique, explore the essays of Don Watson or the satire of John Clarke.
