Would you ever consider going back to work?

I must be the exception. Retired in 2003. 3 weeks off, it was great. than..............what do I want to do today??
Called my old boss and found there were contractor positions available since they needed help.
That was 20 years ago. Been working ever since. 75, work from home doing the same job I did all my life.
Good or bad, I don't know. Retirement is a myth . You need to be involved or you take all that glorious free time and sit in a chair and watch the news.
just my thoughts
rbtvgo
 
I wasn't ready to retire even though my job thought I was. I now volunteer in a senior center cafe and absolutely love it. I need to be with people, to talk with people. I am in a new town and I know no one. The job has really opened a lot of doors for me. New friends. Lots of activities. I can't imagine sitting home every day.
 
I enjoyed my work while I was there and I'm grateful for a good career. However, I can honestly say I haven't missed it. Not one day. I have a lot of memories throughout my work life that I'll never forget but I am very happy that it's over.
 
I have waited so patiently for the phone to ring and a voice to say, " Tim, this is so important, we desperately need your expertize, we will send a limosine to collect you, a uniform will be supplied for your new role as a 'Lollypop Man'. 😊
 
I think some people enjoy pottering around doing this and doing that in their own time and leisure others like the stimulation of the workforce and other people - neither one is right or wrong or best or not - it's an individualistic sorta thing imo? many hrs alone can be monotonous or not?
 
I go back to work almost every night in my dreams. For the past couple of months I've been having dreams of being back at my company and attending conferences or meetings. They are never pleasant. They usually involve me being unprepared. Sometimes I'm unprepared for presentations or I don't have the correct clothing for business. I'm always happy to wake up.

I've been retired since June 2020. It's not like I miss the pressure cooker, so I'm just not sure what this is. Maybe I miss the social component, but I'm ready for my dreams to move on!
 
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My experience since retiring in 2003 is that your life and your career made you who you were as a person. Take one aspect out and your left with trying to figure out who you are now. I went back to work. Don't know if it's right for everyone but it was for me. Retirement is a myth for the most part. It's nice to know that the pressure cooker is gone but at the same time you wonder if you are the same person you were. Can I still do my job? Can I still offer my experience. Is it worth something, was it important????????
I am 75 still working as a telco engineer. Been doing this for 20 years now. Some good days, some bad but I still have something to offer that my company needs. Keeps me going.
Don't know if this means anything to you. Just offered it in an attempt to say that there are a lot of people who feel the same.
rbtvgo
 
Not for someone else, but I think I AM WORKING. I'm doing the huge Art Show,
then I've been asked to give a talk about Angels and my books,
then I'm re-writing my proposed book with illustrations.
Gonna be a busy Summer!
 
rbtvgo said:
My experience since retiring in 2003 is that your life and your career made you who you were as a person. Take one aspect out and your left with trying to figure out who you are now. I went back to work. Don't know if it's right for everyone but it was for me. Retirement is a myth for the most part. It's nice to know that the pressure cooker is gone but at the same time you wonder if you are the same person you were. Can I still do my job? Can I still offer my experience. Is it worth something, was it important????????
I am 75 still working as a telco engineer. Been doing this for 20 years now. Some good days, some bad but I still have something to offer that my company needs. Keeps me going.
Don't know if this means anything to you. Just offered it in an attempt to say that there are a lot of people who feel the same.
rbtvgo
Click to expand...
I do understand what you are saying, but there were many aspects of my job that I didn't enjoy so I have much less stress now and would never go back. I was starting to create a work/life balance prior to retirement so I no longer defined myself by my career. I became a good husband, a thoughtful uncle, a good friend, a good neighbor, a Cat Daddy, an exercise fanatic and (still) a provider for my household.

I hired and coached many people during my career who have now excelled in their positions, so I can rest in the fact that my legacy continues in my industry even if I am no longer there. I have much more energy now than I had when I was working 24/7 and traveling every other week. I'm much more happy. I'll interpret the dreams as too much binge watching of Succession. You may have never seen it, but my company was like that. Big Corporate America with lots of politics and back-stabbing.

Thank you, though, for your input. We all have different motivators, and I'm glad that you are still satisfied and working at 75!
 
Life ain't over till you don't know who you are and you don't know how you got here. Provided, of course that you have family that is looking out for you.
I suppose there should be a forum or topic about dealing with taking care of yourself and not being able to take care of your self. Problem is when do you acknowledge that you can't?????
just a thought
rbtvgo
 
Never and never! It's much more enjoyable going hiking with my loyal companions. However, when I took my daughter's Pit Bull "Bella" with me, she attacked a rattlesnake and got bitten ( No LOL!) It costs me $1,800 to keep Bella alive, and that included two anti-serum shots for $700 each.

The four mile roundtrip took me usually two hours covering an elevation of 1,700 feet. One time I really pushed it and made it up and down in just under one hour. One time running downhill, I cracked my Fibula leg bone but made it down anyway. Another time my Boxer Maxi panicked about bicyclists racing downhill, Maxi pulled me also downhill, and I ruptured my right Achilles tendon (it got repaired again.) But otherwise, the hikes were always pure joy and very healthy. The last time I made it was three years ago, but eventually you have to let things go. I am now taking daily walks just on city streets.

Bottom line: at work the boss controls me; in retirement I am my own boss. What is the better choice?

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I'm retiring in 25 days
I would, but on my terms.....maybe
It all depends if you loved your job or was just a 9-5 kind of work.
I always thought, how does someone go to work every day and hate what they do?
I always love my work. When I tell people what I do, they look at me and say, "what the heck is that?'
Funny, I started as a 9th grade dropout. Never went back for any schooling. I always said I never let schooling get in the way of my education.
I've travelled to so many countries for work, and made some great friends all over the world. Paris, London, Ireland, Sydney, Bermuda, India, many stops in Asia and other places I've forgotten. Stayed in the best hotels, car service wherever I went, best restaurants. What will help me in retirement is something I didn't try to be, but found in my travels. I always stay curious. About everything. I ask alot of questions, always interested in what other people have to say, their lives in other countries, their experiences. I love talking politics in other countries. Talking to a general in the India army about George Bush and how people in India view America and their views of Americans. The world is fascinating. But one thing I always remember, there is no place on the planet like the USA. I remember being in a bar in Germany with some friends and a couple german military guys were getting drunk. Once they found out I was American, they started bashing America. They had their own views and opinions, but they were trying to get to me. Once they realized they couldn't rile me up, we all started laughing. I said to the loudest one that bashed America, "but wouldn't you want to live there?" Without hesitation, in a split second, he said "absolutely" and we started laughing again.
God, don't know where this all came from, just started typing and all this came out.

I come from a poor upbringing so I always remembered my roots.
 
I retired the end of January. My work offered me a per diem rate to fill in at times. If they call and I have plans I just say no. Been doing about 3 a month. Extra play money for concerts I like to go to!
 

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