Retirement Chronicles: Death Of The Peanut Man

Back in February of this year, I wrote an article (Fascinating Talk With A Retiree Who Didn’t Plan) about a man who literally sold peanuts in the park. I wrote about how he didn’t start paying into Social Security until he was 60 years old. I wrote about how he was only receiving $900 a month.

You can click on the link above to read more about Jake, or the peanut man, as we fondly called him.

Jake’s Story Caused Some Debate

Jake made little in the way of money selling peanuts his entire life. But he was happy. He was not concerned about saving for retirement. His entire life philosophy made me rethink slaving away in a corporate job during my career. Others concurred with Jake. There is more to life than working and saving for retirement far into the future.

Still, others did not agree with Jake’s philosophy. There was a little debate on who was right and who was wrong. I soon realized, there is no right or wrong. Retirement is what you decide it is. I will always believe that saving for retirement is a worthy goal. Others do not see it that way. That’s okay. We can agree to disagree.

I bring all this up because I did not see Jake at the park this past Saturday morning. He always worked 6 days a week and was at the park by 6 a.m. each morning. I don’t recall Jake, aka the Peanut Man, ever missing a day he was supposed to work.

The Last Bag

When I bought a bag of cashews from Jake last Friday morning (after I took Milo for his morning walk), I noticed he seemed to look pale. I asked him how he was doing. “Not well, actually. Doc said I needed a heart catheterization to check for blockages. I just don’t have the money to pay the co-pay. I can’t afford to take off for that either. I’ve got bills I’m behind on. I’ll be okay,” Jake said.

That bag of cashews I bought from Jake Friday morning would be the last I would ever buy from him.

Jake was a month shy of being 79 years old.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: My posts are simply personal observations of nearly 20 years as a retiree. The experiences and perspectives are meant to share information and anecdotal details about retirement. I claim no professional advice, be it financial, health, spiritual, or otherwise. If you have a problem with my observations, then visit someone who is a professional. I have no affiliation with any product, service, or person contained in this article.