30 days retired and searching for meaning for the day

debrakay

debrakay

New Member
This is the 30th day of my new full retirement and here I am signing up in a Senior forum looking for answers! I was supposed to keep working for 15 to 20 hours per week for the next 2 years but that did not pan out so here I am at home with my hubby who has been retired for 15 years now. I am now realizing that every day is mine to do with as I please but I have no idea what I will be doing or what I want to do. I do volunteer with a couple of groups a month so I have 2 days taken care of. Then, if and when the plague is over, we can get back to church services once a week. I would love advice or suggestions from anyone on this forum who has retirement experience. There are some things that I need to explain first.

1) I am 67 and in good health and my husband is 80 with terrible health conditions from rheumatoid arthritis as well as COPD and back trouble.
2) Hubby and I have very little in common except our love for Jesus Christ. I like music, he does not. I like to talk, he does not. I like to travel, he does not. I like to walk, he does not. There is more. We have been married for 38 years (second marriage for both of us) and do love and care about each other.
3) The closest children and grandchildren live 3 hours away (6 hour round trip over mountain passes). The rest need an airplane to get there.
4) We live on the Oregon Coast and get 90 inches of rain a year. Dry days come in July, August, & September.
5) I am slightly overweight so cooking and eating are not high on my list of things to do and my hubby is a very picky eater anyway!
6) We built and have lived in the same home (plus 2 acres of land) for 30 years and the task of cleaning, clearing, and uncluttering is very daunting, to say the least.
7) I do enjoy reading and watching movies so that has filled the past 30 days. I'm always looking for new books to read.
8) Because of covid, distance requirements, and mask requirements, which I hate with a passion (breathing, smiling, glasses steaming, can't hear what people say, etc.) I do not do go out in a public setting more than once a week and then only for minutes.

If I sat here longer I could probably add to this list. My hope is someone here on this forum would have some words of encouragement or advice for me. Right now I plan to get through today and see what happens tomorrow. It took me 67 years to get here so I guess I am not in a rush to figure it out. LOL! Sorry if this intro is over the top. I have never done this before and do not know the protocols. ;)
 

Big warm welcome to you, Debrakay, from Beautiful British Columbia Canada!

cape-palmerston-7-1.jpg


Please don't apologize for your intro, it's totally awesome!

Wish more new members took the time to introduce themselves in the style that you chose to. :)
 
Hey neighbor! You live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet! We get up there whenever we can when travel is allowed!! Thank you for your kind words! I've never been a part of a forum before so this will be new for me. Of course, my whole life now with retirement is new for me. When I was a young girl I had penpals so I guess this is kind of like that!
 

debrakay said:
Hey neighbor! You live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet! We get up there whenever we can when travel is allowed!! Thank you for your kind words! I've never been a part of a forum before so this will be new for me. Of course, my whole life now with retirement is new for me. When I was a young girl I had penpals so I guess this is kind of like that!
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Hello to you, too, Debrakay!

Dear husband and I both pinch ourselves from time to time as a reminder as to how lucky we are to live were we do.

So glad to hear you get to visit this end of the planet when you can.

You seem down to earth to me, and most of us here on the forum are the same, so I see you as a wonderful addition to our home!

Congratulations to you on retirement! My husband finishes up at the end of this year and he can't wait!

Reflecting on your neck of the woods, how hubby and I would love to drive the Oregon Coast. We're hoping one day...
 
Aunt Marg said:
Hello to you, too, Debrakay!

Dear husband and I both pinch ourselves from time to time as a reminder as to how lucky we are to live were we do.

So glad to hear you get to visit this end of the planet when you can.

You seem down to earth to me, and most of us here on the forum are the same, so I see you as a wonderful addition to our home!

Congratulations to you on retirement! My husband finishes up at the end of this year and he can't wait!

Reflecting on your neck of the woods, how hubby and I would love to drive the Oregon Coast. We're hoping one day...
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We have been driving up to BC for decades whenever we can. Vancouver Island is one of our favorites. In the past we have only had time to drive for a week at a time but maybe now we can explore farther north and farther east. You would really enjoy the Washington and Oregon coastal drive. The Pacific Ocean and scenery is incredible! The seafood is not bad either. LOL!
 
debrakay said:
We have been driving up to BC for decades whenever we can. Vancouver Island is one of our favorites. In the past we have only had time to drive for a week at a time but maybe now we can explore farther north and farther east. You would really enjoy the Washington and Oregon coastal drive. The Pacific Ocean and scenery is incredible! The seafood is not bad either. LOL!
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Oh yes, Vancouver Island, my favourite, too!

The entire West Coast, you simply cannot lose.

We're hoping and praying we can make the trip one day... sooner than later.

You would love the Maritimes as well, Debrakay.
 
Murrmurr said:
"every day is mine to do with as I please but I have no idea what..."

Are you interested in gardening?
Taking online classes?
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I do like gardening but on the Oregon coast we get 90 inches of rain so getting outside this time of year is not much fun. I have a ton of indoor house plants I take care of so that is kind of gardening. After spending 40+ years in careers that required hours and hours of daily computer use I don't really have interest in online classes. For the past year with covid I have missed being around people. I was sent home to work last year so have not been able to do lunches with friends. Our county is still pretty well locked down. It is a very interesting and testing time of life for all of us.
 
Sliverfox said:
Welcome,, Debrakay, Take time to look a round all the forums offered here.

Always wanted to get to Oregon,,, Hubby & I are 79,,not sure if he's up to driving across country.

We have an old motor home,,usually follow our son when we travel.
Have been 'outwest' to ride the ATV trails.
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I know what you mean! We have family in Killeen Texas and would love to see them but thinking of the drive is daunting! Once I learn how to post photos I will share my neck of the woods!
 
debrakay said:
This is the 30th day of my new full retirement and here I am signing up in a Senior forum looking for answers! I was supposed to keep working for 15 to 20 hours per week for the next 2 years but that did not pan out so here I am at home with my hubby who has been retired for 15 years now. I am now realizing that every day is mine to do with as I please but I have no idea what I will be doing or what I want to do. I do volunteer with a couple of groups a month so I have 2 days taken care of. Then, if and when the plague is over, we can get back to church services once a week. I would love advice or suggestions from anyone on this forum who has retirement experience. There are some things that I need to explain first.

1) I am 67 and in good health and my husband is 80 with terrible health conditions from rheumatoid arthritis as well as COPD and back trouble.
2) Hubby and I have very little in common except our love for Jesus Christ. I like music, he does not. I like to talk, he does not. I like to travel, he does not. I like to walk, he does not. There is more. We have been married for 38 years (second marriage for both of us) and do love and care about each other.
3) The closest children and grandchildren live 3 hours away (6 hour round trip over mountain passes). The rest need an airplane to get there.
4) We live on the Oregon Coast and get 90 inches of rain a year. Dry days come in July, August, & September.
5) I am slightly overweight so cooking and eating are not high on my list of things to do and my hubby is a very picky eater anyway!
6) We built and have lived in the same home (plus 2 acres of land) for 30 years and the task of cleaning, clearing, and uncluttering is very daunting, to say the least.
7) I do enjoy reading and watching movies so that has filled the past 30 days. I'm always looking for new books to read.
8) Because of covid, distance requirements, and mask requirements, which I hate with a passion (breathing, smiling, glasses steaming, can't hear what people say, etc.) I do not do go out in a public setting more than once a week and then only for minutes.

If I sat here longer I could probably add to this list. My hope is someone here on this forum would have some words of encouragement or advice for me. Right now I plan to get through today and see what happens tomorrow. It took me 67 years to get here so I guess I am not in a rush to figure it out. LOL! Sorry if this intro is over the top. I have never done this before and do not know the protocols. ;)
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My husband and I are the same age, and, now, we have very little in common as well. We have many of the same issues as you do, however, we both like to talk-just not to each other 😂. A lot of us color in adult color books as we watch an endless amount of tv. Makes you think you have “done” something and it’s enjoyable.

Ive been thinking of giving some of my finished works to my grandchildren so they can put them on their fridge 😳😂. I walk between 5-6 miles a day either inside or outside, not all at once of course as I am 74.

Lots of us play computer games a well, I play WOW, but not recently as I am raising a difficult puppy who takes up my time. I read fantasy books, elves, dragons, etc. You will fit in very well here.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Aneeda72 said:
My husband and I are the same age, and, now, we have very little in common as well. We have many of the same issues as you do, however, we both like to talk-just not to each other 😂. A lot of us color in adult color books as we watch an endless amount of tv. Makes you think you have “done” something and it’s enjoyable.

Ive been thinking of giving some of my finished works to my grandchildren so they can put them on their fridge 😳😂. I walk between 5-6 miles a day either inside or outside, not all at once of course as I am 74.

Lots of us play computer games a well, I play WOW, but not recently as I am raising a difficult puppy who takes up my time. I read fantasy books, elves, dragons, etc. You will fit in very well here.

Welcome to the forum.
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Thanks Aneeda! I get bored after sitting for a couple of hours and need to find other things to do. With all the rain we get in my area being outdoors is hard especially at this time of year. I do read, watch movies (because I cannot stand commercials on TV), clean the house, play computer games once in a while, write in my journal, call my kids or grandkids (but not too often because they are busy). It is going to take some time for me to figure out what to do with my retirement days. I did get our taxes done really early this year!! That's a plus instead of freaking out in April! It will be fun to spend some time on here seeing and hearing what everyone else is doing.
 
debrakay said:
Thanks Aneeda! I get bored after sitting for a couple of hours and need to find other things to do. With all the rain we get in my area being outdoors is hard especially at this time of year. I do read, watch movies (because I cannot stand commercials on TV), clean the house, play computer games once in a while, write in my journal, call my kids or grandkids (but not too often because they are busy). It is going to take some time for me to figure out what to do with my retirement days. I did get our taxes done really early this year!! That's a plus instead of freaking out in April! It will be fun to spend some time on here seeing and hearing what everyone else is doing.
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Got our taxes done as well and finally have the money to pay them so will do so this week. I like to get them out of the way. You can buy colored pencils and books on Amazon. My favorites are the Johanna Basford. I like to color flowers. But I color other stuff as well.

I don’t like gel pens, I tend to get ink all over myself. 😂

I have a fitbit to track my calories, and sleep, don’t really care about the steps. I walk until I hit 2000 calories cause I tend to eat between 1500 and 2000 calories a day. Due to my disabilities the only exercise I can do it walking. If I eat over what I think is 2000 calories, yup, I walk more.
 
debrakay said:
Thanks Aneeda! I get bored after sitting for a couple of hours and need to find other things to do. With all the rain we get in my area being outdoors is hard especially at this time of year. I do read, watch movies (because I cannot stand commercials on TV), clean the house, play computer games once in a while, write in my journal, call my kids or grandkids (but not too often because they are busy). It is going to take some time for me to figure out what to do with my retirement days. I did get our taxes done really early this year!! That's a plus instead of freaking out in April! It will be fun to spend some time on here seeing and hearing what everyone else is doing.
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Welcome from The New Forest in southern England. You will find it quite addictive on this forum, members are friendly, spats are rare and political discussions, the cause of much strife, are banned. Thirty days into retirement, it must feel strange, not being controlled by the clock. But if you give yourself time you will soon fill your day.

My wife has her sewing with a cabin in which she loses herself. I still work, I couldn't do anything else, but I do have a pen-friend, remember them? My pen friend is a lady, she's 92 and my former neighbour. Her husband died a couple of years ago, just short of their seventieth anniversary. I do most of the writing, telling her of anecdotes, adventures and stories of our dancing and our adventures in our vintage MG car. Writing is a pleasure, and for my pen friend, she loves a letter, a real letter, not an email or text, but a hard copy, that lands on her doormat every couple of weeks. Stay a while debrakay, you won't regret it.
 
Welcome to the forum from Canada 🇨🇦
Retirement is fun. What you do with your day is totally up to you. We have the opposite situation as you. I’ve been retired for a while and now my husband is about to retire so our life is about to change for the best.

I can also relate to having a large lot of land to take care of as well as organizing and decluttering a house. We just finished doing that and it took us a couple of months at least. We organized a room at a time and divided stuff into 4 categories; garbage, donate, keep and sell which worked out great. Mind you, it WAS a lot of work but once finished, we ended up with a fresh new organized home. With the things we sold we had enough money to finish renovating our kitchen, donating to those in need felt great and tossing out stuff we were hoarding, even better.

I spend my time rotating hobbies since I have so many , walking our dogs, trying new recipes, socializing here, reading and keeping our house clean the rest of the time keeps me busy.

I’m really looking forward to more kayaking with my husband, biking 🚴‍♀️ 🚴‍♂️ with our dogs in trailers, swimming around the waters as my husband tries fishing 🎣 LOL, exploring new areas and crossing things off our bucket lists.

There are so many things to do that I’m sure you’ll have no problems settling into retirement.
I wish you the best and happy retirement.
Just have fun.
 

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