The initiation of a first-year retiree

When Maarten retires, things don't start off too well: his retirement from work falls apart completely and on the first day he also loses his glasses. And what should he do with all that time? After spending the first few weeks in a blissful holiday mood, the so-called 'end-of-phase feelings' start to appear more and more often. In a desperate attempt to ward this off, he plans his days full of activities: courses, volunteer work, film festivals, fairs, trips at home and abroad and a whole lot more. And although not everything goes smoothly, as the year progresses, the contours of a new structure as a pensioner start to emerge - and it's not all that bad.

Maarten describes his first turbulent year as a pensioner to his now deceased father and discovers that there are more similarities between them than he ever thought. The initiation of a first-year pensioner is a recognizable, humorous and moving account of the dreaded first year of retirement, in which the bond between father and son serves as a common thread.

A perfect gift book for those approaching retirement or those who have retired