Do you have a club membership? If not, then unless you cannot afford it, do try and take the trouble to get one. Very often there may be a long period of waiting, say 15 years, and this may discourage you from even applying. But don't let this waiting period get you down. Just fill up the application form and submit it. Time will fly, and when you finally get the membership you and your children will be incredibly thankful.

A club membership is not just for the young, but is just as much for the elderly. When you are much older and the children are no longer around, you will be glad you have the club to go to.

Retirement plan

A membership to a club is the best retirement plan you can make for yourself. When you are old, would you rather spend all your time sitting at home, chatting on the telephone, reading, and calling all your children demanding that they come and visit you, as you grumble how no one spends enough time with you? Or would you rather have a life of your own, where you can set out immediately after breakfast, or even before, at the crack of dawn, for the club to meet all your other friends and indulge in a bit of swimming or tennis if age permits, if not, billiards, golf or even cards!

50-year-old Rati, who just turned a member of Bangalore Club after a 10 year long wait, is ecstatic. She spends all her time at the club now, and has made a number of friends. Her children have recently left home, and she doesn't feel the pinch of the empty nest syndrome half as much as other friends, since she has a wonderful routine. She remembers her mother, who would sit at home all the time complaining about how no one would visit her, and then her uncle, who was an avid golfer to the end of his days, who had his own life. He would spend his entire day at the club, and return in the evening, to be with his family. He was fit, alert and active all along. And, most importantly, he was happy and fulfilled.