Congratulations you're old and quitting your job (retiring)

At first I felt very uncomfortable when people congratulated me on my retirement. After all what are they really saying? Way to go for living long enough that you can finally quit your job and do nothing? It kind of felt like congratulating someone for having a birthday. It doesn't really take much effort to have a birthday once a year! Because eventually, retirement is a fact of life and will transpire whether we like it or not. But I think there is some accomplishment in working hard, contributing to society and hopefully making a difference somewhere along the line. And my retirement is a culmination of all that, based on my career, which was always so much more than just a job. There aren't many times in your life that you can celebrate someone's lifelong contributions to their profession but retirement is one of those times. So may I say just one thing to the many other teachers who will say goodbye to their class for the last time this year - congratulations.