On Retirement And Hats

[scottyrocks]

Congrats Scotty!!! Well deserved !!
My wife retired at 54 after 31 years of teaching 3rd grade. We started getting grandkids and she has never looked back.
Enjoy your life my friend!!!

Thank you! I started teaching professionally rather late (28 years old), but it seems to have worked out so far (on my second day of retirement)! haha

 

[T Jones]

Retirement for me? Hmmmmm....the jury's still out on that one. I definitely miss working. So far, for me, that is, retirement's not what it's cracked up to be.

 

[Tukwila]

Having been relegated to teleworking from home, except in special cases that require a trip to the office, I am actually missing going in to work. But, most especially, not leaving the house as often means I don't get to pick out the "special" hat to wear for the day... I think I miss that most.

 

[belfastboy]

Retirement for me? Hmmmmm....the jury's still out on that one. I definitely miss working. So far, for me, that is, retirement's not what it's cracked up to be.

I retired really early at 50, somewhat forced in that they closed my branch office down and I didn't have the heart to continue in sales with the stress and travel. Plus at 50 the industry saw me as old and Regional Manager's jobs hard to find. I potted around for a while but eventually went back to work finding a part time job...3 days a week for about 9 months a year. It was perfect, totally different field, minimal stress, I was back on the tools, they told which job site to go to each day...do my job and go home. I worked that job for almost 10 years and loved it. Turns out I do love to work....it is what I know, what I am good at and gives me a focus and purpose.

I retired for good at 69 as even though still healthy my body was beginning to break down and it took a full day after the 3 days of work for me to recover enough to enjoy the other 3 days.....and the big one is that I started to resent it when Tuesday rolled around again. The first year of retirement was easy as we travelled for 6 months of it....we were either travelling or planning the trip. But last winter it hit me and I found myself wandering about the house too much wondering what to do with myself. It has morphed to where I have found some hobbies to keep me busy and we will return to travel once this pandemic loses steam and they open the border. But it has been a huge adjustment for me and a transition that I am still navigating BUT it has reached the point where I am fully enjoying the freedom each day to decide what is to be done....it has just taken me a long while to get there.

 

[T Jones]

I retired really early at 50, somewhat forced in that they closed my branch office down and I didn't have the heart to continue in sales with the stress and travel. Plus at 50 the industry saw me as old and Regional Manager's jobs hard to find. I potted around for a while but eventually went back to work finding a part time job...3 days a week for about 9 months a year. It was perfect, totally different field, minimal stress, I was back on the tools, they told which job site to go to each day...do my job and go home. I worked that job for almost 10 years and loved it. Turns out I do love to work....it is what I know, what I am good at and gives me a focus and purpose.

I retired for good at 69 as even though still healthy my body was beginning to break down and it took a full day after the 3 days of work for me to recover enough to enjoy the other 3 days.....and the big one is that I started to resent it when Tuesday rolled around again. The first year of retirement was easy as we travelled for 6 months of it....we were either travelling or planning the trip. But last winter it hit me and I found myself wandering about the house too much wondering what to do with myself. It has morphed to where I have found some hobbies to keep me busy and we will return to travel once this pandemic loses steam and they open the border. But it has been a huge adjustment for me and a transition that I am still navigating BUT it has reached the point where I am fully enjoying the freedom each day to decide what is to be done....it has just taken me a long while to get there.

I definitely envy you. I wish could enjoy the freedom to decide each day what is to be done. Unfortunately my wife has taken on that task to tell me each day what I have to do. She tells me, "Terry! You have to do this and you have to do that today!" Then I tell her I can't because I have eye problems. Then she'll ask me what's wrong with my eyes. I tell her, "I can't see myself doing that."

 

[1961MJS]

Try watching Daytime TV, you'll never want to retire. Had to stay home with the kid back in 1998, he had the flu and slept all day. Couldn't use power tools, didn't have a new book, so I watched daytime TV. I am still scarred.
Later

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I recently asked my wife if she thought I’d be bored in retirement. She laughed and said I still wouldn’t have time time for all my hobbies and interests. That’s what I was thinking too, but it’s nice to get a second opinion.

 

[belfastboy]

Try watching Daytime TV, you'll never want to retire. Had to stay home with the kid back in 1998, he had the flu and slept all day. Couldn't use power tools, didn't have a new book, so I watched daytime TV. I am still scarred.
Later

What? Oprah didn't change your life?

 

[T Jones]

Try watching Daytime TV, you'll never want to retire. Had to stay home with the kid back in 1998, he had the flu and slept all day. Couldn't use power tools, didn't have a new book, so I watched daytime TV. I am still scarred.
Later

Yup. A guy can only watch so many re-runs of Jerry Springer

 

[Rmccamey]

Here, here, my thoughts exactly! I'm not getting to wear hats as much any more!

Having been relegated to teleworking from home, except in special cases that require a trip to the office, I am actually missing going in to work. But, most especially, not leaving the house as often means I don't get to pick out the "special" hat to wear for the day... I think I miss that most.

 

[tropicalbob]

Try watching Daytime TV, you'll never want to retire. Had to stay home with the kid back in 1998, he had the flu and slept all day. Couldn't use power tools, didn't have a new book, so I watched daytime TV. I am still scarred.
Later

I gave up on regular TV almost twenty years ago, when I returned home after a very near-death experience on the operating table. I just can't watch it: everything, from the ads to the news, from drama to sit-coms and talk shows, seems to be covered in some kind of inane slime aimed at a LCD audience. Never been happier.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I agree, and my two favorite TV shows were "Married with Children" and "Two and a Half Men". If you watched those shows and didn't feel better about your family, well, you had some SERIOUS problems. Fortunately, I found them uplifting.

Later

 

[Zombie_61]

Daytime TV? Jerry Springer?? Married...With Children???

 

[1961MJS]

Sometimes I do that with my eyes at work around the old timers who have actually watched the Pink Panther movies. The cartoons were on when I was in Grade school.
Later

 

[T Jones]

Daytime TV? Jerry Springer?? Married...With Children???

...and re-runs of Andy Griffith. Gotta watch Andy.

 

[itsallgood]

One afternoon about a year ago, I was in our local grocery store, part of a big chain, and it was quiet. I turned an aisle and up ahead was a man bent over and stocking shelves, but when he saw me he immediately locked eye contact and as I perused the aisle working my way towards him, it became apparent he was bursting at the seams. As I went to walk by, I casually said, "Hi, how are ya?" He said, "I'm great, I'm about to retire." I said, "Oh, how long?" He said, "Twenty minutes!"

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

All I miss about my job is the people.
I don’t miss the stress of a job. I also don’t miss having to work 7 days a week. I now can spend time on my hobbies and taking a walk everyday.

 

[Zombie_61]

...and re-runs of Andy Griffith. Gotta watch Andy.

During the last few years I've watched more of The Andy Griffith Show with my wife than I have throughout the rest of my life. If I were Andy Taylor Barney would have been killed, chopped into small pieces, and disposed of long ago.

 

[GHT]

I now can spend time on my hobbies and taking a walk everyday.

Working beyond a given retirement date rankles so much with someone that I know. He never misses a chance to make a jibe, always going on about how time is so precious. Last time that I saw him he suggested that I get a hobby. I told him that I had one, I just happened to get paid for it.

 

[Rmccamey]

A hobby you get paid for is, like, the ultimate retirement. If you control when and where you do your hobby, you've got it made, at least, in my book!

Working beyond a given retirement date rankles so much with someone that I know. He never misses a chance to make a jibe, always going on about how time is so precious. Last time that I saw him he suggested that I get a hobby. I told him that I had one, I just happened to get paid for it.