Retirement ....Good , Bad , So-so ??

[teejay]

I've been officially retired for a year now ......seems a little strange , not working . Not that I punched a clock , but I do ...oops , did like work and wasn't a guy to take much time off . But I'll be 70 in a couple of months so I guess that's long enough . Retirement isn't quite what I had envisioned as I had thoughts of being in Scottsdale AZ in the winter .........but as much as I bitch about winter when it's here , our area of southern Ontario gets off pretty easy and I confess Ido look forward to changes in season . We hadn't counted on health issues , particularly with my wife , so travel is out of the picture .....I'm essentially a care giver and have been for several years . My wife is not an invalid or incapacitated but she does not handle being alone for more than 4 or 5 hours and has become a home body of sorts . It is what it is !

I do like puttering around the house on my own time ....if I don't feel like cutting the lawn , to hell with it until tomorrow etc . I have been totally remiss with my small layout ....just haven't been in the mood but I still like the hobby in general ....but no more clubs .

Well , enough rambling , how do you like retirement ??

T

[BR60103]

I recommend it for everyone.

(Well, I was in the pension business for over 30 years.)

My feeling is that the less control you had over your working life, the more you'll enjoy retirement.

My main problem seems to be less time for what I planned to do -- I still haven't driven that streetcar.

[faraway]

I have been for a long time an absolut loyal and enthusiastic employee for many years. But the company changed drastic over the years and the job became a pain only. I was deeply frustrated and wanted to get out as soon as possible. It was one of the happiest moments of my life when I left the office building on 3/19/15 at 11:00h for ever followed by the formal retirement on 7/1/15.
Since then I enjoy the new freedom like crazy. I am still extreme happy to have the freedom do decide each second of my life what I am going to do the next hour. We do little planning but enjoy the new freedom to do what ever we want. There are all the small things of live that are hard to coordinate with a job but that make us happy each moment. Stay up early and do a day trip of stay long in the bed and read a book. Eat a sandwich at lunch only or get dressed and go to a fine restaurant. Work all day at the layout or do nothing at the layout but go shopping.
It is the litte freedom I have waited for so long.

[teejay]

It was awkward for a while , not having to be " on time " for anything ( except a doctor's appointment ) because I was always punctual .....don't know why , maybe the household I was raised in . I honestly can't remember being late for anything in the past and now I don't even look at the clock ! Weird .

T

[Tyson Rayles]

Due to a health crisis that opened my eyes I retired 13 years ago at age 55. It was the best decision I have ever made. I'm not quite as well off $$$ wise as if I had worked to age 66 but then I probably would have died by then. While I'm not rich, paying the bills is not a problem either. I am down at the Lionel museum 2 days a week but that is not a job, it's getting paid to play! I wouldn't change a thing.

[teejay]

I might just look into something like that , Mike , ....coupla days per week , hopefully nearby .....then again .....and believe me , I certainly understand health issues changing ones direction ..

[dwyaneward]

I do like puttering around the house on my own time ....if I don't feel like cutting the lawn , to hell with it until tomorrow etc .

9 month and counting since I started my retirement and enjoying it.

[doctorwayne]

I finished working in 2004, and retired officially a year later, as I had banked vacation time which also accrued further vacation time. While I generally enjoyed my time as a steelworker, the last couple of years weren't a lot of fun, as the company was struggling and the workplace atmosphere was getting a bit ugly.

While I've never had a problem working at just about anything, retirement is the best job I've ever had: no clock to punch, no set bedtime or time to get up, or need to be anywhere at a specific time...perfect for a body's internal "clock". I can pretty-much come and go as I please, and it's ideal for appreciating life and all that it offers. I am very thankful to be so generously blessed, and it would be impossible for me to recommend retirement more enthusiastically.

Wayne

[Genetk44]

8 out of 8..or 9 out of 9 are enjoying retirement...100%...which I find to be a bit surprising in a way...i know quite a few people who struggle with all the free/time/lack of schedule that retirement offers....a few even went back to work because they felt unproductive or at loose ends....it will be interesting to see how this discussion pans out over time.

[teejay]

I suppose it starts with relationships at home ....there are couples who do better if they aren't together 24/7 , for various reasons . I'm fortunate in that my second wife and I have been together 21 years and enjoy each others company every day .....we're pretty laid back folks . Surprisingly , my wife , who has never had much interest in sports , has become an avid Toronto Blue Jay fan and insists on watching every game the full 9 innings ! Most unusual for her . Other people probably have adult children still living at home which , to me , would be a huge strain especially if they didn't contribute anything like so many I see .

[ezdays]

Been retired so long that I can't remember the date, just that I told my wife we would shut our business down or sell it by the end of that year, I think it was 2001....

The up side of retirement:

• You can sleep as long as you like
  You don't have to answer to bosses, customers or some government agency that wants to keep tabs on what you're doing
  You can do your shopping while everyone else is working
  You can avoid going places of entertainment on weekends when they are crowded.
  You can make an appointment for any time of any day without checking with anyone else.
  

The down side of retirement:

• You still seem to wake up at the same time you did when you were working
  You miss being around other people, be they bosses, customer or government agents of any type
  You are shopping at the same time all other seniors are out there
  You try not to ge too far from home for your entertainment
  You spend far too much time in doctor's waiting rooms

And yes, I do occasionally miss working, and have even dreamed that I was back at work again. Not quite a nightmare, but close....

[TinGoat]

5 years, 4 months and 9 days to go...

But who's counting?

[Brakie]

I been retired since my major heart attack in '05 and still love the freedom to do as I will. I don't think I could put with time clocks any more and goodness knows I suck in a lot of propane fumes and black warehouse dust while making several of the line bosses number one boot lickers to the General manager...

[teejay]

Several have mentioned time/ clocks etc .....for some reason I now wake up at between 5 and 5:10 a.m. ( never did or had to before ) , I turn on the coffee maker where my wife has previously set up 1 1/2 cups of coffee ( I take 2 or 3 gulps out of the first cup and then top it up with the rest ) , I go down to the computer to read the news , play computerized bridge , or Word Whomp ....finish the coffee and go back to bed for two hours . This has been going on like clockwork for 4 months now and I have no idea why , nor do I care ! It's my " new routine " and I like it .

[FiatFan]

Nine years and 11 months ago on this date I walked out of the plant for the last time. I cannot believe the time has gone so quickly and the number of changes that have occurred in my life.

For those who go back to work after retirement or complain of too much time on their hands I am guessing they don't have hobbies or interests other than the work they were doing before retirement. My next door neighbor is a good example of that. He's in his 80s and still goes to work every day. He tried retirement but went back to work after about 6 months.

I'll never work for someone else again. I enjoy the freedoms as mentioned by other who have retired. The only constraints on my life right now are those generated by my family.

Tom