View Full Version : Retirement
This is my first anniversary of retirement. It has been a good year. I had always wondered if I would be bored or lonely in retirement. I am happy to say that I am much too busy to be bored and my church, family, quilting guild, and fellow rosarians give me just the right amount of social life. I've enjoyed reading and with my iPad and Amazon's One Click, let's just say that there's always something wonderful to read!
The really truly very best thing about retirement is that there is no hurry, no pressure to get this or that done, so that I can rush on to the next thing that needs to be done. For example, yesterday I needed to take my van in for a safety inspection sticker. I settled in with my iPad to read and wait; it was done in 20 minutes but it wouldn't have bothered me if it had been an hour. Nice.
Do I miss the income? More money is always nice but we have more than enough. So far we haven't really missed my income. In January, 2013 JMM will start drawing his Social Security and in December, 2013 I will start drawing mine. We will start drawing from our 403b accounts when JMM stops working or goes part time.
All in all, I am loving every day of retirement.
Enjoy it and take time for yourself finding new and richer focus to your life.
Good for you Florence. Your life sounds pretty much in order (not like you are dying or anything, but you know what I mean!)
Mighty Frugal
5-8-12, 12:56pm
You sound so peaceful in your post. I hope to have as satisfying a retirement as you are having. The though of being able to calmly just wait seems like heaven to me! I've got a few more decades left but doesn't mean I can't dream!
Enjoy!!!
The really truly very best thing about retirement is that there is no hurry, no pressure to get this or that done, so that I can rush on to the next thing that needs to be done. For example, yesterday I needed to take my van in for a safety inspection sticker. I settled in with my iPad to read and wait; it was done in 20 minutes but it wouldn't have bothered me if it had been an hour. Nice.
This is truly my most favorite thing about retirement and I know my DH thinks so too. Being able to take life at a slow pace and smell the roses, so to speak, is a wonderful, wonderful thing! :) I feel so calm and peaceful now and that in turn is good for my blood pressure. Ours was a forced retirement due to health problems and bankruptcy of DH's place of work and our income is very small now, but we keep our heads above water and life is really just so sweet now..... Florence, I am happy for you!
This is truly my most favorite thing about retirement and I know my DH thinks so too. Being able to take life at a slow pace and smell the roses, so to speak, is a wonderful, wonderful thing! :) I feel so calm and peaceful now and that in turn is good for my blood pressure. Ours was a forced retirement due to health problems and bankruptcy of DH's place of work and our income is very small now, but we keep our heads above water and life is really just so sweet now..... Florence, I am happy for you!
I really wish this were true. DH is so HIGH ENERGY that he's busy busy busy all the time, making things, building things, involved in every way possible at church (UU - we're there several times a week for this and that, and often all day on Sundays), geocaching, cohousing, you name it. And bike riding! And he wants me to be as busy as he is and I don't want to. I don't do geocaching, am involved as much as I need to be in church, and am of course involved in cohousing group if we're going to really do that. He's got our summer calendar all plotted out for RV trips with just us, and including kids/grandkids, and being pinned down is great as the calendar would fill up with something else if he didn't do that, but no flexibility there. I'm tired ... And yes he knows how much this stresses me, but it would stress me more to see HIM stressed out with "nothing to do". We've been married 47 years, and we never knew we were so different! (As an aside, he's always been energetic but was almost "normal" before we discovered he was gluten-sensitive about six years ago (soon after we retired) and giving up gluten has made this difference -- I keep threatening to add it back in without his knowledge!)
Other than that, we are just fine! :treadmill:
Gardenarian
5-9-12, 3:15pm
Sounds beautiful Florence! I feel more relaxed just reading your post!
Congratulations Florence! It sounds like you are having a wonderful retirement!
loosechickens
5-9-12, 8:43pm
Serendipity's husband sounds very much like mine, with the difference that mine learned long ago to severely limit the number of activities he tried to get ME to do with him......he still buzzes around like a maniac (IMHO), but he's learned to be really respectful of my introverted, slothful self, so I get lots of peace and quiet, and he engages in myriad things without feeling that he needs to have me do it with him.
Our family joke is that he will do something whether he wants to or not, and I won't even do a lot of things that I want to do, because it's too much trouble, or would crowd my schedule. I like lots and lots of "margins" in my schedule, hahahahaha
Yeah, I'm real marginal too. http://www.kolobok.us/smiles/artists/vishenka/l_book.gif
Lots of "white space" is non-negotiable for me.
You know, Serendipity, I wonder how my husband will take to retirement because he is much more active than I am. He has a thousand and one interests but I can't imagine that he would try to involve me in all his interests. He better not!!
Wow, so I'm not the only one? Whew! Well, DH and I are very "close", and he wants US to do everything together instead of doing them by himself. And we've always mostly done that, and I was happy with it. And I WANT to do things with him, just ... not necessarily all the time, or the same things, and not when those things interfere with what I want to do (which sometimes is "nothing") :~) Among other things, today he wanted me to go to Home Depot with him (he's building a fence in front of the house and planting flowers and I'm not helping), but I wanted/needed to clean the big freezer in the garage and move some things from the refrigerator/freezer out there. So I cleaned the freezers. He also wanted me to go bike riding with him (he has a nice bicycle and I have an adult tricycle) to find the shortest way to the bargain grocery store, and that's important, but I had "more important" things ($$) to do right then (btw: the shortest route is 3.5 miles each way). Then he wanted to stir-fry for dinner, which wasn't what I had planned, but he did most of the work and it was really really good! ..... Tomorrow I want to tackle the master bathroom, which needs a good scrubbing, and perhaps some rearranging of drawers. I love to rearrange/organize things -- but sometimes I can't remember where I've moved things :|( . And he gets to say "NOW where do you keep the peanut butter??"
Yeah, it all can be frustrating for both of us, but it's not a deal-breaker by any means, and things could be a whole lot worse. Thanks for letting me vent for a few minutes -- it felt good! I'm over it now ...
frugal-one
5-9-12, 10:22pm
Congrats Florence! I recently celebrated my one year retirement too. I echo your sentiments. Life sure is grand!
All my friends from work have retired within the past few years but I have a few more to go. We get together once a month for lunch and it is so interesting to hear their retirement stories. Over and over, I hear how they have so much to keep them busy. They now have the time to take trips, volunteer, read at long stretches, garden, watch grandkids, etc and for that I am wistful (not the grandkids part - yet!). My one other observation is that they physically appear more relaxed and at ease. However, all three appear much older and heavier in a short amount of time - I guess not having to color hair, wear makeup, etc isn't "required" anymore. I would call it quits tomorrow if I could afford to.
The really truly very best thing about retirement is that there is no hurry, no pressure to get this or that done, so that I can rush on to the next thing that needs to be done. For example, yesterday I needed to take my van in for a safety inspection sticker. I settled in with my iPad to read and wait; it was done in 20 minutes but it wouldn't have bothered me if it had been an hour. Nice.
I reitred in September, and I'm just now getting the hang of this. It's amazing how corporate life trains us! I've finally thrown out the Do Lists and now just get done what I can get done without feeling guilty about not driving myself to get it ALL done by a(n) (imaginary) deadline.
You're all making me jealous here.
I've reached the age when retirement comes to mind a lot, but still have a daughter in high school. Barring poor health or layoff, I believe it is 10 years away (at 62 or 63), even though I'd rather it be 59.
I have had to slowly train the husband that I am not going to sit next to him 100% of the time when he is watching tv and working on his laptop. Or help him on 100% of his projects. Or do my quilting/sewing on the dining room table so he can talk to me when he wants. His parents had that kind of marriage and it was so limiting for Mom.
So now he knows when I disappear upstairs it can be for hours and he has to find something to do himself. (Once he asked if he could help me with my quilting and knowing his fingers and the danger involved, I had to say no. Plus I need time to myself.)
This is my first anniversary of retirement. It has been a good year. I had always wondered if I would be bored or lonely in retirement. I am happy to say that I am much too busy to be bored
Congrats Florence - retirement rocks!!!
What I love about retirement is that now my morning "commute" is out running or walking in a beautiful local park or along the beach instead of sitting on the freeway with millions of other commuters going to their jobs. Being able to sit and have a coffee and crossiant afterwards for as long as I want while I go online without anyone telling me my break is over. That if the weather is bad on the weekends or I'm sick, I don't feel like my weekend is messed up if I choose to stay home in my PJ's and read - because come Monday (and Tuesday and Weds.....) when the weather is great I'll have everyday and every moment to myself. I like not having to plan vacations around anyone else schedule but my own, or trying to take more time without feeling guilty or with a ton of work piled up and waiting. I like knowing that work isn't going to interfer with spending time with fasmily and friends. I like knowing that I can pretty much do what I want, when I want, for as long as I want... or I don't have to do a darn thing at all :-)!!
Spartana, some mornings when I am in bed listening to the radio while waking up slowly and hear the traffic report, I must admit that I fluff my pillow and turn over...with just a hint of a smile on my face...:)
Mighty Frugal
5-22-12, 4:51pm
Congrats Florence - retirement rocks!!!
What I love about retirement is that now my morning "commute" is out running or walking in a beautiful local park or along the beach instead of sitting on the freeway with millions of other commuters going to their jobs. Being able to sit and have a coffee and crossiant afterwards for as long as I want while I go online without anyone telling me my break is over. That if the weather is bad on the weekends or I'm sick, I don't feel like my weekend is messed up if I choose to stay home in my PJ's and read - because come Monday (and Tuesday and Weds.....) when the weather is great I'll have everyday and every moment to myself. I like not having to plan vacations around anyone else schedule but my own, or trying to take more time without feeling guilty or with a ton of work piled up and waiting. I like knowing that work isn't going to interfer with spending time with fasmily and friends. I like knowing that I can pretty much do what I want, when I want, for as long as I want... or I don't have to do a darn thing at all :-)!!
No wonder you have that great big gorgeous smile!!! Enjoy
Spartana, some mornings when I am in bed listening to the radio while waking up slowly and hear the traffic report, I must admit that I fluff my pillow and turn over...with just a hint of a smile on my face...:)
Ha Ha! I still get up early (love those quiet early morning hours at the park or beach alone) and every morning I drive over the freeway on an over pass and just see the 8 lanes of traffic backed up and practically at a standstil (this is in coastal SoCal about 40 miles south of L.A.) and I am SOOOOOO grateful I'm no longer among that crowd. I mean - really really grateful. Just can't believe I did that for so many yeats. Never ever again.
And yep MF, I'm always smiling :-)! Not too much to complain about these days.
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