How did you plan emotionally and psychologically for retirement?

jujube said:
Years ago, I had a cat that got carsick. I found that if I covered his carrier with a piece of cloth, he'd do well. He just needed the isolation from the surroundings.
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I think cats would love riding at the back window if allowed, but having cats loose in the car is asking for a tragedy to happen. And putting the carrier there would be fatal if it gets too hot from the sun and the cat is not able to get away. Covering the carrier, as you suggest, is the best option. That's what they suggest to do when humanely trapping a stray, covering the carrier calms them.
 
StarSong said:
Back in the 80s my brother traveled a lot for work, including overseas. I expressed some envy over his opportunity to "see the world on his company's dime."

He told me that there was a terrible sameness to hotels, convention centers, airports, restaurants, and meetings with vendors, no matter where in the world he was. He smiled sadly with, "You don't think they give me an extra three days to explore these cities, do you? I get off the plane, take a cab to the hotel or a meeting, have a dinner meeting or dine alone at the hotel, repeat the process the next day or two, then go back to the airport and fly home or to my next stop."

He opened my eyes to the grind that business travel often is.
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This was my life.
 
CatGuy said:
I'm going to be retiring in about 7 months, and I'm curious as to how others have planned - or not planned - for the first days/weeks/months of being retired. Did you have a plan? Were you excited? Anxious? How did those first days/etc. affect you mentally and emotionally?

Thanks to all who reply!
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I took an early retirement as planned, I saved for many years while I was working to make that possible, also worked a lot of overtime hours, which helped. I was very excited when I neared retirement and informed my employer of the date. I didn't plan on anything in particular and retirement had a very positive effect on me mentally, physically and emotionally. My husband retired around the time I did also.

We like to go camping and take our pets with us. Other than that, we keep busy enough just with every day things, house and yard work, walks with the dog, etc. Days seem to fly by, and can't say I'm ever bored. I enjoy being able to listen to music, watch TV or be on the computer more than when I was working.

To me working for someone all my adult life was just to pay the bills and accumulate some savings for retirement. Life is wasted working, IMO, even if you don't do anything in retirement but lounge around, at least you are enjoying your precious time here on earth, soaking in nature, etc. Nice to be in charge in your golden years, I think we all deserve it. Some people thrive on working and don't want to retire, whatever works for them, but that's not for my or my husband. Most I would consider is volunteering somewhere, like maybe an animal shelter, but I don't see that happening in the near future. :)
 
Catlady said:
I have a Tortie, too, she's a stray that was pregnant when I took her in. I got to see her giving birth a week later. I kept all, that was in Aug 2016. Wendy is mean to her kids and the other cats, but is extremely loving to me. And very beautiful, too, with long hair!
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Oooops, I got confused there. I don't have a Tortie, I have a Calico. :confused::confused:
 
jujube said:
Years ago, I had a cat that got carsick. I found that if I covered his carrier with a piece of cloth, he'd do well. He just needed the isolation from the surroundings.
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We've just started doing that this last trip, seemed to quiet our Tabby, Nani (Squeak's sister), who usually howls a bit. Not sure how it will work for carsickness, but sounds like a good idea to try out. Thanks!
 
CatGuy said:
We've just started doing that this last trip, seemed to quiet our Tabby, Nani (Squeak's sister), who usually howls a bit. Not sure how it will work for carsickness, but sounds like a good idea to try out. Thanks!
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Try any options, use drugs as a last resort. It WOULD be best to leave them with a trusted friend, though, cats don't like excitement like dogs do. It will be hard on them to travel, especially if for long trips. Depends on their personalities, though. I read about a guy who took his cat on cross-country motorcycle trips (it had a leash).
 
CatGuy said:
Actually, they've done really well. We started off with short trips, just a few minutes, to get past the whole "V.E.T." thing, and we've been gradually increasing the time every week. Our tortie, Squeak, gets carsick after about an hour, so we're going to try some holistic remedies first, then we've got some anti-nausea pills from the vet as a fallback. I think they're gonna be fine.
(And truth be told avoiding the cat sitter is only a small part of the reason: I adore these two and suffer some serious separation anxiety any time we travel ;))
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Good luck guy. We missed the hairballs, too...but one beach condo occupant had her cat jump off a 9th level balcony...thankfully it was ok but it was enough to make us decide to "let sleeping at home cats lie". Do remember bringing my mom back from Tampa to Texas with her old cat sleeping peacefully up in the back window of the car. So many waved at us along the way...lol!
 
Liberty said:
Good luck guy. We missed the hairballs, too...but one beach condo occupant had her cat jump off a 9th level balcony...thankfully it was ok but it was enough to make us decide to "let sleeping at home cats lie". Do remember bringing my mom back from Tampa to Texas with her old cat sleeping peacefully up in the back window of the car. So many waved at us along the way...lol!
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I'd be afraid I would forget and open the car door and the cat would take off. One time I learned my lesson when my loose cat got underneath the brake pedal and I couldn't use it to brake without squashing her. Never again! I did drive in 1977 from CT to FL with three cats, but they were in a cage and I let them out at night when I went to sleep. I had a van with a bed so I could save on hotels. LOL I've had some adventures.
 
CatGuy said:
We've just started doing that this last trip, seemed to quiet our Tabby, Nani (Squeak's sister), who usually howls a bit. Not sure how it will work for carsickness, but sounds like a good idea to try out. Thanks!
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I think a lot of the "carsickness" stems from anxiety...…."OMG! WHERE ARE WE GOING??? THE VET? NOOOOOOOO, NOT THE VET!!!! I MUST SING THE SONG OF MY PEOPLE AS LOUDLY AS POSSIBLE!" Covering him up changes that to "Ooooh, they got me a nice canopy bed with a vibrating mattress. They must really love me! I think I'll just lie here and purr quietly to show my appreciation."
 
Catlady said:
I'd be afraid I would forget and open the car door and the cat would take off. One time I learned my lesson when my loose cat got underneath the brake pedal and I couldn't use it to brake without squashing her. Never again! I did drive in 1977 from CT to FL with three cats, but they were in a cage and I let them out at night when I went to sleep. I had a van with a bed so I could save on hotels. LOL I've had some adventures.
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One time I was picking up my husband at work after dark in our old Dodge Maxi Van that had these strange little ventilation doors down in the foot area in the front. My daughter, for some notion (an 8 year old has strange ideas) wanted to take the cat along. OK, sure, I'll get some "Good Mom" points. What could it hurt? Famous last words...….

Of course, the cat makes a beeline for the little doors and disappears into the bowels of the truck. I can't start up; who knows what part of the engine he's on. I pop the engine cover. No cat to be seen. But I can hear him. Finally I find him mashed under the narrow grill between the engine compartment and the windshield. "GET MEOWT!!!!!"

But in order to get him out, I had to remove the grill. But first I had to remove the window wipers. Just as I have the window wipers removed and the grill hanging from the brackets, he does that spaghetti-cat-thing, disappears back into the next dimension and emerges back through the vent doors into the truck. Daughter overjoyed. Cat nonchalant about the whole thing (cats are never embarrassed...….that's for lower lifeforms.....)

It's pitch dark, I can't get anything to reconnect, so I just anchor everything to the front of the van with half a roll of duct tape and hope I don't get pulled over.

After that, cat's only car rides are inside a carrier.
 
jujube said:
But in order to get him out, I had to remove the grill. But first I had to remove the window wipers. Just as I have the window wipers removed and the grill hanging from the brackets, he does that spaghetti-cat-thing, disappears back into the next dimension and emerges back through the vent doors into the truck. Daughter overjoyed. Cat nonchalant about the whole thing (cats are never embarrassed...….that's for lower lifeforms.....)
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LOL, I love the bolded comment. I love cats, but sometimes they drive you up the wall (on purpose?). I don't know how many times I've looked for one cat or another and can't find it. Did it slip by me when I opened the door and I didn't see it? I look everywhere, no sign of the cat. I call even though I can't hear, but they would never answer anyway. Then suddenly the cat reappears. Where were you hiding? I never found out the many times it happened.

I think Cat Guy is biting more than he can chew by taking those cats along, hope nothing bad happens. Cats love comfort and routine and safe places. Traveling can be stressful even for humans.
 
When we were building this house, in the mid 80's, there was a wild calico cat on the property. Hub was finishing out the fireplace and had just cemented it up outside when a bit later her heard "meowing"... he had to tear completely out the cement job again, to find and remove a litter of kittens. We just lost the last kitten from that litter a couple of years ago; he died from old age. Oh well. The things you remember.
 
My 30 years will be up July 1st, But with my accrued sick time I was eligible for full retirement over a year ago. Financially we can afford for me to call it quits, But would have to pay for insurance for 9 years. The wife has about 7 more years to go and will have insurance with her retirement.
I love what I do, but hate some of the BS that goes along with it. So will continue for a few more years and get our retirement travel toys paid off and our house done.... We travel and camp quite a bit now, but will be going out on 3-6 month trips once she retires...

Emotionally and Psychologically......
This is were Im fearing trouble.... Have always been a workaholic of sorts, have always worked 12 hour shifts, rotating days and nights, and for many years would work a few hours during the day when pulling nights. Currently its rare for me to sleep more than 3-4 hours at a time. I do hope that will change with retirement
 
Liberty said:
When we were building this house, in the mid 80's, there was a wild calico cat on the property. Hub was finishing out the fireplace and had just cemented it up outside when a bit later her heard "meowing"... he had to tear completely out the cement job again, to find and remove a litter of kittens. We just lost the last kitten from that litter a couple of years ago; he died from old age. Oh well. The things you remember.
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OMG! Tell me more. How many were there? How old,were they newborn? Thanks for keeping them. When I took in my Calico Wendy and she had kittens, there was no way I would have had the heart to give them away. I fell in love with them the minute I saw them being born, and even more after I held them in my hand, they just barely covered my palm.
 
Catlady said:
LOL, I love the bolded comment. I love cats, but sometimes they drive you up the wall (on purpose?). I don't know how many times I've looked for one cat or another and can't find it. Did it slip by me when I opened the door and I didn't see it? I look everywhere, no sign of the cat. I call even though I can't hear, but they would never answer anyway. Then suddenly the cat reappears. Where were you hiding? I never found out the many times it happened.

I think Cat Guy is biting more than he can chew by taking those cats along, hope nothing bad happens. Cats love comfort and routine and safe places. Traveling can be stressful even for humans.
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LOL! I can chew it well enough, it's just a matter of how it's going to taste! It's an experiment, to be sure. I'll keep y'all posted on progress, for sure!
 
jujube said:
One time I was picking up my husband at work after dark in our old Dodge Maxi Van that had these strange little ventilation doors down in the foot area in the front. My daughter, for some notion (an 8 year old has strange ideas) wanted to take the cat along. OK, sure, I'll get some "Good Mom" points. What could it hurt? Famous last words...….

Of course, the cat makes a beeline for the little doors and disappears into the bowels of the truck. I can't start up; who knows what part of the engine he's on. I pop the engine cover. No cat to be seen. But I can hear him. Finally I find him mashed under the narrow grill between the engine compartment and the windshield. "GET MEOWT!!!!!"

But in order to get him out, I had to remove the grill. But first I had to remove the window wipers. Just as I have the window wipers removed and the grill hanging from the brackets, he does that spaghetti-cat-thing, disappears back into the next dimension and emerges back through the vent doors into the truck. Daughter overjoyed. Cat nonchalant about the whole thing (cats are never embarrassed...….that's for lower lifeforms.....)

It's pitch dark, I can't get anything to reconnect, so I just anchor everything to the front of the van with half a roll of duct tape and hope I don't get pulled over.

After that, cat's only car rides are inside a carrier.
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Wow! That's quite a tale! Ours are in their carrier all the time in the car. I've been gradually using larger carriers, the idea is to build them an enclosure that will let them stretch out a bit and will house a litter box. Now, how's all that gonna work out? Beats me. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, though, and I badly want to take them with us. We have friends who could watch them, sure, but they are very clingy with me (I'm the guy that plays with them every day - fuzzy worms are the best!), and I'm not sure how they'd do alone in the house.
 
CatGuy said:
Wow! That's quite a tale! Ours are in their carrier all the time in the car. I've been gradually using larger carriers, the idea is to build them an enclosure that will let them stretch out a bit and will house a litter box. Now, how's all that gonna work out? Beats me. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, though, and I badly want to take them with us. We have friends who could watch them, sure, but they are very clingy with me (I'm the guy that plays with them every day - fuzzy worms are the best!), and I'm not sure how they'd do alone in the house.
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We were gone for over a month each year...it did take the cats about a week to get used to the housekeeper, but they did fine. Cats are survivors and will adapt when they have to. Because they are territorial, they don't like to move though. Lots of cases of cats being adopted and not keeping them in the building for a couple weeks. Letting them out resulted in them trying to find their way back to the previous location.
 
I loved most aspects of my career but couldn't wait to retire. I had health issues and our boss was becoming a pain. But we started out together in our 20's, each in different job titles and those of us in the office were like family, despite the occasional squabbles. That being said, I surprised myself by visiting the office quite a bit. Guess I had separation anxiety. I also had another excuse though. I sold aromatherapy products as a side gig and had customers in the building. I was so busy in retirement taking care of my aging mother, taking her to her appointments, babysitting and shuttling the grands to pre-school and school (when I was well enough) so I didn't have much time for emotions. Both my mom and husband told me I was busier in retirement than when I was working.

I did have a financial plan (somewhat). My constituents told me I couldn't retire so early (age 50) because they had more time in than me and felt they couldn't manage it. They couldn't believe I actually did it. But I was never anxious about retiring early because I knew that being debt free and having an extremely low cost of living, plus a great health insurance plan, that I could do it. Turns out I was right and never regretted retiring when I did.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I did have a financial plan (somewhat). My constituents told me I couldn't retire so early (age 50) because they had more time in than me and felt they couldn't manage it. They couldn't believe I actually did it. But I was never anxious about retiring early because I knew that being debt free and having an extremely low cost of living, plus a great health insurance plan, that I could do it. Turns out I was right and never regretted retiring when I did.
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I love this, Diva! Kudos to you for not only getting your ducks in a row, but having the confidence to believe in your plan.
 
StarSong said:
I love this, Diva! Kudos to you for not only getting your ducks in a row, but having the confidence to believe in your plan.
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Yep, what Star says is so true, these days people can get so discouraged with all the info about how much money they MUST have in order to retire at all. You didn't let that stop you, One eye...you kept your "eye on the ball"!
 
I retired at the age of 52. My company allowed for retirement at that age and I took it. They have been true to form and have continued my retirement benefits without fail. (17 years)
Do something you enjoy. For me that is woodworking, house restoration and vehicle restoration. Now I'm busier than I ever was when I was working full time, But when your doing something you love...you're doing something....for you.
 
StarSong said:
I love this, Diva! Kudos to you for not only getting your ducks in a row, but having the confidence to believe in your plan.
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Liberty said:
Yep, what Star says is so true, these days people can get so discouraged with all the info about how much money they MUST have in order to retire at all. You didn't let that stop you, One eye...you kept your "eye on the ball"!
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Thank you so much StarSong and Liberty!
 
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