I retired at 55, so I got this question a lot from my former coworkers. The thing I told them is that people who see time as something to be enjoyed will love retirement, those who see time as something to be filled will have to work hard at it.
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I retired at 55, so I got this question a lot from my former coworkers. The thing I told them is that people who see time as something to be enjoyed will love retirement, those who see time as something to be filled will have to work hard at it.
Yoga class makes me feel like a total stud, mostly because I'm about as flexible as a 2x4.
"Design"? Possibly. "Intelligent"? Sure doesn't look like it from this angle.
We used to be hunter gatherers. Now we're shopper borrowers.
The three most important words in the English language: "Front Towards Enemy".
The world makes a lot more sense when you remember that Butthead was the smart one.
You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much ammo.
Contributor
Lisa, sorry to hear about your health issues! About 7 weeks before my 61st birthday, I awoke deaf. For safety reasons for me and the customer's equipment, I could no longer work. It was instant retirement. 18 months later I had surgery and received a cochlear implant. While it's not perfect by any means, the hearing it provides sure beats being deaf!
Between traveling, woodworking, yardwork, and family, staying busy really is a matter of choice. In the very near future, I plan on adding some volunteer work to my schedule.
Most importantly, take care of yourself. Then determine what you enjoy and can do within the confines of your medical issues. Take care!
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
Moderator
For those who want to accomplish things one thing that really helps is to keep a list. A hint from a friend - write the list on a 3x5 card folded in half, when full, add another card. He always keeps his list in his shirt pocket along with a pencil. Cross off items when done. Keep the cards as a reference for what got done when.Originally Posted by Bernie Kopfer
I've already done seven things on my list for today, most of them farm chores on the mental list including the morning 1/2 mile walk. Fortunately, there was no skunk in the trap this morning to deal with like there was yesterday morning (as I had anticipated.) That skunk has already provided supper and breakfast for the vultures. Headed out now to reload the chicken feed container, tend to the baby peacocks, put the weedeaters back in the shed, haul and spread a couple of loads of dirt and lay down some erosion control mat on an uncooperative spot, extract the honey from the boxes robbed a few days ago, and if time allows build some sawhorses, grade the driveway, then mow the horse pasture if it's not too hot. For sanity's sake I keep in mind it's not possible do everything I want to do the same day.
BTW, my retirement list does include very important things like "spend quality time with Kindle", just now accomplished in the rope swinging chair on the screened porch with the wind chime just outside. Retirement life is what you make it. It can be better than good.
JKJ
Contributor
I retired at 66 and am now 75. Spent most of my retirement time volunteering for various groups aiding those with disabilities. Tremendously satisfying. While i could still do significant woodworking, I made things for sale at craft shoes and consignment shops to raise money for Special Olympics. My wife belongs to the the local Civitans whose goal is to also raise money for various 501(C)3 groups aiding those with disabilities. You can be as busy as you want to be, meet a bunch of incredible people. I know this is not for everyone but give it a thought. Just to be clear, I have two sons with Fragile X so this comes easy for us.
Member
Very good way to look at it.
I forgot to mention in my previous posts about how your body will produce less adrenaline in retirement especially if you came from an intense or stressful job. I find that riding my bike fast gets my adrenaline flowing really good. Got the ebike so I can ride it fast for longer periods. Goal is to get exercise but not come home and hit the couch. My advice right after retirement is to get the house and property fixed up if you were behind on it. Woodworking is much more enjoyable if you don’t have deferred maintenance and it gets way harder to do the older you get.
Enjoyed my career as a civil engineer for 40 years, 25 of that as a consultant/township engineer for a community I travel through daily. Retired 10 years ago at age 63. Every day I get to see the fruits of my labor, a water tower here, a parking lot there (reviewed site plans for the local Home Depot). Surrounded by memories. I have always been a jack of all trades, so I have a lot of opportunities helping out where I can, a lot of projects at church, or helping my son with his new house, doing all of the trim work and helping him completely finishing a 1600 sf basement, including all of the wiring, steel stud walls and flooring. Helping him take down trees and making cord after cord of firewood. Lately I have been looking after my neighbor's lawn while he social distances due to cancer at his home up north. Church keeps my busy as I am the tech guy as we continue streaming services and I recently got appointed to council with the property committee as my responsibility. We have a motor home and spend 3 months in Florida. Oh, and the '84 Jeep is always begging for attention. We live on a lake so the pontoon gets a workout. When I have spare time I immerse myself in one of 35 YouTube subscriptions I have. I am on my lake association, now contemplating a second augmentation well,something I was very involved with at work. While I enjoyed work, I was ready to move on with my life the second I stepped out the door. No bad, no ugly. Bored? Nope.
Last edited by Ole Anderson; 08-21-2020 at 9:11 AM.
NOW you tell me...
Contributor
Retired at 55, 16 years ago. Took up WWing, then restoring vintage machinery to refit the shop.
Lately I've taken up astronomy. There's always something to keep you busy.
Contributor
Hopefully you will still be able to do woodworking Lisa. I've read a few of your posts about equipping your shop. I'm trying to get all the tools and as much tooling as I can now while i'm still working. One of the nice things about woodworking is equipment seams to hold a good portion of it's value. If bought used it can actually bring more down the road.
My father worked for IBM and with 27 years in they offered to bridge people to 30 years. He passed on the first offer but took it when they offered it a second time. Back then IBM was a different company and they offered retirees their choice of activities they would pay for. My father picked suba diving. So a part of his package was free classes and the equipment. Since it was sooner than planned, but not health related thankfully, he didn't really plan out what he wanted to do. Even though he liked doing it the suba diving only lasted one summer. The lesson I learned from this is to try and plan out your retirement sooner than you think you should.
I figure I have 7 to 10 years left before I'll quit. So for the last 5 years I've been soul searching (for a lack of a better term). What I found out is I like to be creative. I also like to give more than receiving. That's lead me to woodworking and to a lesser extent metal working. My goal is to make stuff that will last a lifetime, long after I'm gone.
Sorry to hear about your health issues. Every day is a Saturday except Sunday. With regard to work and activities, there are few if any deadlines, so if you get tired you can just walk away and pick it up tomorrow or the next day or a week from today. Do the things that you couldn't do because you had to work. Go see family , take trips, try new hobbies, go back to school, read a book or two or just do nothing for a few days.
Lee Schierer
USNA '71
Go Navy!
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I've not figured out that "just do nothing" part. Sitting down in the middle of the day to read a book or, horrors, just do nothing still feels like a criminal activity. The to-do list is way too long for that sort of thing!
Pre-retirement, at least later in my career, I tried hard (with varying success) to take one day a week really "off"; now that every day is Saturday the Saturday tasks and opportunities to work on shop projects have no built-in breaks. Hence it's hard to find time to go fishing. Pathological, no doubt!
Member
Being retired and living in a populated tourist area we actually dislike the weekends since the stores are more crowded.
Some working people here prefer week days off for similar reasons and more time to do banking and investment work.
Contributor
I dont think anyone mentioned - naps. Take one whenever you want. There's nothing on TV during the day anyway.
Moderator
Weekend? What's that? I have to look at my pill container to know what day of the week it is.... LOL
Sadly, I can't do naps...never have been able to in my entire life. They make me feel like a truck ran over me for some reason...
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
Jim, try harder.
Member
Here's the ugly side, it can go bad.
I was forced to retire at 52. Medical problems for me. So we open a small shop doing something we enjoyed.
So suddenly she needed emergency surgery for what should have been a common and simple surgery, BUT the Dr made bad mistake in surgery. She ends up on life support for over a week, and after sometime they send her home. And now she was totally bedridden overnight. After years of going to different Dr's, the medical community gave up, yes we used many Dr's, specialists, and even a summer going to the Mayo clinic. NO luck.
Now I could not just let her in that situation, so I/we turned to "non-traditional" Dr.s...the ones not covered by insurance, pay cash up front.
Lets fast forward, it took 8 years and almost all our savings and retirement, but she is on the mend, she has to do 2-4 hours of therapy every day, and will have to the est of her life to stay mobile. She will always battle pain and other things. (she is off bad drugs) But she is going to bands and dancing, and spending time making new friends, and having fun. Seems when you have this happens most "friends" abandon you.
She was never helped like this with traditional Dr's. Most of the treatments are out there, but not approved for her condition by the FDA or any insurance. Now she will never be able to do a lot of the household things, so I do all the house work, not good enough for her, and I probably will have to work until I can not work any more. We will probably never be able to do all the retirement things we planned on, but at least she has her life back.
I have left a lot out, but you asked for the ugly, it can happen.
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