Monday, January 05, 2009

one small step


I had hoped to finish and my three-month countdown list to Mexico this evening. But hope is where it ended.


The list is about one-third complete. And it is developing nicely. I will soon be seeking help from those of you who have been through the process of moving south. It will become apparent quite soon that I have shamelessly Bidenized your experiences already.


But I have completed the biggest step of the process. Today I applied for my retirement benefits and gave official notice to my employer that I will be retiring on 31 March.


I hate filling out forms. (I know. I know. I had better be ready for lots of them -- and in Spanish -- during my remaining years in Mexico.) The retirement forms were no different than any other form.


But I must give credit to whoever set up the retirement forms on line -- because completing them was a breeze. And, rather than mail them to an impersonal bureaucrat, the system sets an appointment with a competent, friendly person to review the forms with the applicant. No waiting lines. No crowds peering over your shoulder -- wondering when you are going to stop ruining their lives.


Best of all, when I handed in the forms, I had full confidence that my retirement benefits would be calculated correctly and paid timely. Time will tell if image is everything.


It is only one step. But tonight -- I feel like Neil Armstrong.

5 comments:

Michael Dickson said...

It´s not so much that you fill out lots of forms down here. The bureaucrat does that. It´s that you have to bring so much paperwork with you.

Steve Cotton said...

Michael -- Good point. That is another item I need to add to the list -- getting digital copies (for printing) of my financial and background records. Warm up the scanner.

Paul said...

I like the comparison to Neil Armstrong, Steve. It also seems to me I detect more than a hint of excitement in your posts now. More so than in the past. That should serve as confirmation you are on the right path.

Babs said...

A "giant" step to a life you've never lived before! Isn't that exciting? I'm happy for you.

Steve Cotton said...

Babs -- Does living it in my mond count? Thanks. I hope you are back to your former self.

Paul -- I am truly excited. And I have been. I suspect the resultance you have detected is this blasted lawyerly exterior I have been cursed with. I hope to shed it soon. So much for "same life."