I hate being retired....

[Rich Engelhardt]

Bah!

When's the fun and "Golden years" stuff start?
Did I nap through the dancing girls and keg tapping?
When can I sleep in?
It's 6:04am right now, and I've been up for over two hours - looking forward to another exciting day of - retirement...:rolleyes:

I guess I could always just "putter around" in the yard...that sounds like as much fun as giving myself a root canal w/my new Bosch hammer drill.

Bah!!!!
I thought this would be like an extended vacation.
What it's more like, is, I said or did something inappropriate @ work and got suspended w/out pay.
(& w/out the enjoyment of actually having said or done the deed ;))

I feel like a kid on a playground that no one wants on their ball team....

[Marty Paulus]

Rich,

I am surprised to hear that. Most of the retired people I know are more busy then when they were working.

[Belinda Barfield]

Give it some time Rich. LOL. If you're really bored you can come on down to GA and play on my ball team . . . I'm completely covered up with with down here.

[Rich Engelhardt]

GA.... yummmmm Vidalia's,,,,,,
That sure does tempt this Yankee boy ma'm!

[Paul McGaha]

Rich,

It's 10 years or so away for me but I think I'm going to love it.

Take better care of the house. Maybe travel a little. Plan to mainly fill the void from work with the shop. Thats my plan anyway.

I'm sure you'll get this figured out soon.

PHM

[Chris Damm]

Wekk I've been retired for 10 years now and I still wonder when I ever had time for work. Just hang in there, it gets better and better!

[Scott T Smith]

Rich, it took me about a year to adjust; during that time I did a lot of volunteer work helping others, and then I started becoming more focused on my farm projects and building a new business.

For many people, their main focus in life becomes their career. When that is taken away, the sense of purpose is affected and this can and does have negative consequences (mainly health) if not addressed. The best thing that you can do is ask yourself what you want to accomplish during the rest of your life, and then start doing it. If you don't know about thre rest of your life, then ask yourself what you want to accomplish for the rest of the week, the rest of the month, the rest of the year, etc. Set goals and then move forward on achieving them.

There's a great line in the movie The Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy living, or get busy dying".

[Belinda Barfield]

GA.... yummmmm Vidalia's,,,,,,
That sure does tempt this Yankee boy ma'm!

Come on down, we're only an hour and a half away from Vidalia . . .

[Ken Massingale]

I don't know how long you have been retired Rich....

I retired Dec. 1 2007. Honestly I felt lost the first year, I had spend over 3 decades supporting other employees. It was a 24/7 ordeal that I looked forward to getting away from.
Then starting Dec. 2, BAM! No one called for my help and the sudden feeling that I was no longer needed really hit me. I basically didn't do anything until Oct. 2008, nothing.

Then my wonderful wife told me I needed a larger new shop! That started to get my motivation going and take my mind away from my 'lost' feeling. Over the next few months I grew to accept being retired, now it's just wonderful.

If you recently retired, give it time. I started paying Social Security at the age of 13 and was never without a job for more than 2 weeks and just 3 times. I retired at 62. Working for 49 years out of 62, then suddenly knowing that it's all over is shocking whether we realize/accept it or not.

Enjoy your time, keep your mind busy.

Ken

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Was it yesterday you retired Rich or the day before? Give it some time. I was forced into retirment 6 months ago because I woke up deaf 7/7/2010. Worrying about how we could or would handle the financials of being forced into retirement before I was ready, kept me pretty depressed last fall. Then in February, I had no choice. By the end of March, the financial status had shaken out and I started getting a new life. And now I am expanding that new life and enjoying it. Once I get a cochlear implant, I will expand my life some more and begin doing some volunteer work in the community.

[glenn bradley]

Trade ya. I hear some retirees talk of not having enough time to get things done and others saying there is nothing to do. I have a to-do list that would last a good couple of years. I tend to plan my time even on weekends. If I ever find myself staring into space, I just look at the plan (list, post-it note, whatever) and it steers me back on track. Most of us need to be productive to feel good about our life. The challenge is to be self-motivating to accomplish our goals. I too have those days when i don't seem to get anything done. On those dys I take 2 minutes to jot down what I did do. Once I see what I did accomplish, I feel better ;-)

[Rich Engelhardt]

Was it yesterday you retired Rich or the day before? Give
LOL!
Close - it was last Friday.
Seems like it's been a year and a half though! :D

I did mange to start someting last night!
The bad news is that it was an argument...:O
LOL!

In the shop though, I managed to finish the potato bin my wife had wanted for a few years.
I'm just putting the finishing touches on a carry/storage box for the track saw rails.
I organized one section of the garage too.

On the personal side - I've dropped probably close to 15 pounds in the last two weeks. That's pretty normal for me to drop that much in a short time by cutting out the "binges", the soft drinks, the snacks and the huge dinners right before bed.
After skipping breakfast ad lunch for the last 45 years, I've also been eating both meals.
A swiss cheese sandwich for breakfast, and a peanut butter one for lunch.

On the down side - my coffee intake has soared. I'm swilling ~ 8 cups a day of that stuff.
My goal is to be coffee free by the end of 2011.
I'm also walking every morning.
I started two weeks ago - a week before my sentance,,err,,retirement day.
I was in such terrible shape I got winded walking to the mailbox (about 100 feet) and back.
Now I'm up to making it about 3 steps away from the top of the hill on the next street over. I could have made those last few steps this am, but, I wanted to stick w/"the plan". "The plan" calls for me doing that hill at the end of the 2nd week - which is tomorrow.


I started becoming more focused on my farm projects and building a new business.
That's what I'm talkin 'bout!!! Building a new business sounds like a great idea! I had some plans in teh works for that, but, the real estate market tanking put those on hold.


Working for 49 years out of 62, then suddenly knowing that it's all over is shocking whether we realize/accept it or not.
Amen brother! I'm 59 1/2 and had nearly 53 years of drawing a paycheck. Not having one - or any real concrete prospects for drawing one - is a nasty, nasty experience.

[Bruce Page]

Give it some time Rich. I retired in December. I was a little lost for 3-4 weeks before I got into a relaxed routine, I’m loving it now! What I really love is no longer having deadlines – if I don’t finish up what I had planed for today, there’s always tomorrow!
The only thing I miss about working is my coworker friends. We still get together once or twice a month for lunch.
I’m looking forward to cooler weather so I can spend more time in the shop.

[Mike Henderson]

Amen brother! I'm 59 1/2 and had nearly 53 years of drawing a paycheck. Not having one - or any real concrete prospects for drawing one - is a nasty, nasty experience.
You're right. I always laugh when I hear some politician saying that people will have to work longer, and not retire so early. Many of us would love to work longer. But just try to get hired when you're about 60, and especially in this economic climate.

For that matter, just try to get hired when you're a bit over 50 and see how far you get.

Mike

[Steve Jenkins]

Maybe a road trip should be in the offing. I bet you could travel the entire U.S. and not spend a single night in a motel. Just Creeker to Creeker. Just imagine all the nice people and great shops you'd get to see.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

You're right. I always laugh when I hear some politician saying that people will have to work longer, and not retire so early. Many of us would love to work longer. But just try to get hired when you're about 60, and especially in this economic climate.

For that matter, just try to get hired when you're a bit over 50 and see how far you get.

Mike

Amen.....I have a brother in his mid-50s...engineering degree.....looking for work......the last 3 jobs.....RIFed as the new hire.....

[Larry Frank]

I have been retired a little longer than two years now and ran into the same thing in the first year. I think that one needs to do some planning before they retire. Everyone knows that they need to do some financial planning but most do not think about the "what am I going to do after I retire planning". I think that the first winter after I retired was the most difficult.

I honestly have had to put some effort into what I want to do and then make it happen. I find that making a list as things come to mind helps me. It is just not as easy as one thinks. I have been very fotunate as I had been asked to come back to work as a consultant part time and that has eased the transition.

[Brian Kent]

I know how you can feel like you accomplished something great today. Post 2 more times and then you will have 2,000 posts. You can celebrate with a victory dance.

[David Keller NC]

Amen.....I have a brother in his mid-50s...engineering degree.....looking for work......the last 3 jobs.....RIFed as the new hire.....

Quite so. And this is true even for folks with PhDs in highly technical fields with a "shortage" of trained prospective employees. It will take federal law intervention in the hiring process to bring about a change Specifically that would require banning the use of "degree and year graduated" on a job application or resume, and banning the review of credit/financial information, which makes the age of the applicant clear.

It's a reasonably noble purpose, but such an intervention would be frought with difficulties. I often wonder if that's partly why 60% of the economic activity in the US is businesses with less than 25 employees.

[David Helm]

At 68 I get SS and medicare. I still work; when work is available (my business slowed down dramatically this year) but there aren't enough hours in the day. Even without working for pay I have too much to do. If you get retirement pay, get over your doldrums. Many don't have that.

[Bruce Page]

At 68 I get SS and medicare. I still work; when work is available (my business slowed down dramatically this year) but there aren't enough hours in the day. Even without working for pay I have too much to do. If you get retirement pay, get over your doldrums. Many don't have that.

68? :confused:
You don't look a day over 40. :)

[David Helm]

68? :confused:You don't look a day over 40. :)When that picture was taken I was 51. I will still take that as a compliment. :-). The only real change since then is gray in the beard and hair and some crepey skin.

[Jim Koepke]

I am retired and have more to do than I can handle.

Yesterday I swept the chimney in getting ready for winter and while on the roof took care of some moss and the gutters. Need to go cut and split some firewood.

Also working on cabinets in the shop.

If you need extra income, make things to sell. If you do not need the money, make things to give away.


Now I'm up to making it about 3 steps away from the top of the hill on the next street over. I could have made those last few steps this am, but, I wanted to stick w/"the plan". "The plan" calls for me doing that hill at the end of the 2nd week - which is tomorrow.

For me this is another issue. There are very few plans that I make that I will hold up if the goal might be attained earlier than planned.

If you need something to keep you busy, get some chickens and sell eggs. Watching the chickens is more fun than watching TV.

jtk

[David Drickhamer]

I retired 2 1/2 years ago. It took me about one day to adjust. I woke up the next day, smiled and went back to sleep. I'm busier now than when I worked. The best thing about retirement is I now get to spend a lot of time in the shop and I can spend a lot of time with the grand daughters. I missed a lot with my kids because I worked 2nd shift. and told myself I'm not miss the grand kids growing up. Actually I don't have tome to work anymore.

Retirement is the best job I've ever had.

[Glenn Clabo]

Rich,
I retired a year ago...today in fact. I went from a crazy 24/7 availability job...in/for the Navy...to retirement in an instant. ALL the people who knew me insisted...based on my A personality... I would be coming back to work in some form within a month...when in fact..with the exception of the great people I was blessed to work with...I haven't missed it one little bit. For the first time in my life I can do what I pretty much WANT to do...when I want to do it. I think after almost 40 years of flat out...I was more than ready to back off and do the things I never had time to do...and I LOVE it! I think the trick for me was being ready to retire....and having things to do that make me look forward to everyday. I have lost 35 lbs...walk more than 5 miles a day with my camera...and actually have time to do all the other things that goes along with being a stay at home house husband.

[Jim Laumann]

Maybe a road trip should be in the offing. I bet you could travel the entire U.S. and not spend a single night in a motel. Just Creeker to Creeker. Just imagine all the nice people and great shops you'd get to see.

I'm not retired - still have a few years to go (uh huh - sure - like that will happen the way the economy is going), but Steve's idea sounds really cool.

[Gordon Eyre]

As a higher level management person in a fortune 500 company prior to retirement I missed the respect and the feeling of being important. Then I got over myself and learned to enjoy the little things in life. One thing I did do was to have my wife start a honey do list rather than continually being after me to do certain things she wanted done. This worked much better and I just work down the list as I have time. After the first year went by I have really enjoyed being retired. I honed my skills as a photographer and became quite professional. I also resurected my hobby as a woodworker and spend time using it to good advantage.Retirement will grow on you if you will just expand those things you like to do as well as giving some of your time in helping others. Read a good book, subscribe to Netflix, go back to school and take a few classes that you like, court your wife and do nice things for others. Life is great!

[dave toney]

Please consider getting involved with civic organizations or volunteer work.
I have been president of a local civic organization for many years and all over I hear the same thing, "we need new members!".
There is more need than ever during these tough economic times to help those in your community.
Dave

[Myk Rian]

When's the fun and "Golden years" stuff start?

It starts when you make it start.

You sound like a whiner, Rich.
Get off your arse. Go for walks to learn your neighborhood.
Got a bicycle? No? Get one.
Join the Senior Center.

I've been retired 7+ years now. I stay active. I am very involved in the senior center. I go for walks.
I don't whine.

[Ole Anderson]

I loved retirement from the moment it started. Let's see, I do some woodworking, (duh), dabble in photography, waterski a bit, ride my bike a bit, work on the Jeep and other cars, keep my boat running, active at church, read a bit, love my morning online comics, spend time on at least 4 forums, love my TV, do yardwork and on and on...

Did I mention the RV and snowmobiling?

You gotta find some hobbies man.

[Von Bickley]

Retirement = The best job I ever had......

If you hate it so much, why not get a job?

[Al Wasser]

If you have tried what others have suggested and still hate retirement, then go back to work or volunteer. I don't know about the "Golden years". That term always has bothered me, what with the aches, pains that evolve. It's good day when an old hurt goes away and a new one does not show up.

[Joe Angrisani]

.....I don't know about the "Golden years". That term always has bothered me, what with the aches, pains that evolve. It's good day when an old hurt goes away and a new one does not show up.

Reminds me of a comedian I saw once. Imagine a 30-something telling the story:

Grandma: "So Billy, how was your day?"

Bill: "Not good. I started the day with a dead battery in my car. I finally got it started, but on the way to work I spilled my coffee. Then I got stuck in traffic on the Parkway. My boss hates me and gave me grief all afternoon. And to top it all off, the Mets lost again today. What about you, Granny?"

Grandma: "Well.....I woke up today."

::::::::::::::::::::::

But seriously, Rich. It's up to YOU to make it an extended vacation. Make it one, everyday. :)

[Jim Koepke]

That term always has bothered me, what with the aches, pains that evolve.

I have some pains that go back more than 50 years.

A lot of my tasks are done left handed because my right hand has some pains from a nasty accident of mine back in 1958.

Injuries from getting hit by a truck in 1972 still ache.

My right shoulder was banged up pretty bad in an accident back in 1973 and still causes pain after a hard days work.

Then there is my lower back…

And every morning, rain or shine, I thank God for opening my eyes on another day.

Learn to live with pain. Life goes a lot better if you can adapt instead of complain.

jtk

[Rich Engelhardt]

You sound like a whiner, Rich.
Get off your arse. Go for walks to learn your neighborhood.
Got a bicycle? No? Get one.
Join the Senior Center.

I've been retired 7+ years now. I stay active. I am very involved in the senior center. I go for walks

Yep - next to my naps, a good whine is something I look forward to. ;) W/or w/out cheese! ;) :D


If you hate it so much, why not get a job?
I've been looking...
Matter of fact, I was online filling out applications less than twelve hours into "retirement".

[Steve Jenkins]

speaking of aches and pains.
IF a 60 yearold woke up feeling like a 21 yearold he would jump out of bed ready to conquer the world. If a 21 woke up feeling like 60 he would call 911