Is Retirement All It's Cracked Up To Be?

I retired at age 63 due to emphysema. I may could have found a part-time job sitting down but I didn't know what. Texas is a aright to work state and I never worked for anyone who had a retirement program. I had saved a little money so I retired and drew social security. My wife was still working. She retired in three years later in 2000.

These retirement years have been the best in my life. We didn't have as much money retired but we didn't need as much. I don't go much anymore, to the groceery store, out to eat once in a while, a cookout over to my son's place. Ten years ago I was told to get my affairs in order, go home and enjoys the time I had left. I did and I'm still enjoying it. Yeah, retirement is good. I guess it's what you make of it.
 

Yep, its great. Been retired for 7 years and love the freedom. Don't live like a king, but have all I want. Got a few expense items out of the way this year and hope to kick up the travel next year. Lived in the USA all my life and have seen very little of it. I've been as far west as Colorado, but want to get up into the Pacific NW. And want to get up into the New England area. Not sure where I might go in 2015, but will study on it during the winter.
 
My friend worked until her 58th year. She was a guard in a Federal prison. Had all her plans for income worked out fantastically and was planning to retire and continue travelling which was something she loved to do. Fast forward 1.5 years and she's dead. Seriously, she died September 7th and the last 8 months of her life was spent in the hospital. So she had a bit over a year of enjoying her retirement. She never knew that she was undergoing liver failure until January of 2014 and then she began the tedious experience of being sick in hospital for a week then home for a week, etc., until September.

After seeing this happen to her, I'm fully behind quitting as soon as you are financially capable of doing so, because the end could be sooner than you expect.
 
I agree Debby; one never knows what is round the corner..

I have been retired 2years now; and it was a great move; and I am able to travel to places I never could when I was working because of time restraints.

I have enough money; although the amount left for my kids is decreasing....they have been warned!
 
Debby----You are right on. The problem as I see it is convincing people to do so. I am talking about those that can afford to retire early. Most of us think we are invincible and those kind of things only happen to the other guy. As an airline pilot, I could have flown until I was 65 by FAA law, but when I hit 62 and I knew we were financially well off, I got out and made room for a younger person. Besides, my airline offered me an early out package that I just could not refuse.

I think many of us know someone that the same thing happened to them as did your friend. It is hard to watch your friend die right before your eyes. I always had a problem finding the words, the right words. There are NO words that make anyone feel better in those situations. You just have to tell them that you love them and that you will miss them. But, now I am getting off the subject.
 
Yep, and then some. I have nothing to do and all the time in the world in which to not do it...

My late husband and I had planned to retire and go off to see the world. Unfortunately, he died at 60 when I was 58. I then planned to work until 65 or so, but at 62 I met and fell in love with a retired gentleman who wanted to get a camper and travel around the country and wasn't interested in waiting for three more years. So, I threw caution to the wind, retired, sold my house and off we went. Between social security and pensions, we can make it work. We spend four to five months in the summer traveling and then come back to his house for the winter. I do some traveling outside the country (which he doesn't like to do) with friends and relatives. I plan to keep going until it's time to plant my derriere in a rocking chair on the front porch of The Home for Old Ladies.
 
Vivjen said:
I agree Debby; one never knows what is round the corner..

I have been retired 2years now; and it was a great move; and I am able to travel to places I never could when I was working because of time restraints.

I have enough money; although the amount left for my kids is decreasing....they have been warned!
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I'm so glad to hear that you are enjoying this phase of your life Vivjen. I've been retired for about seven years now and I think this last year, I've finally begun to relax and appreciate it. It took me a while to get off away from the compulsion to 'accomplish' so no more to-do lists! Wahoo! I just get up in the morning, check the weather and take it from there.
 
Debby said:
I'm so glad to hear that you are enjoying this phase of your life Vivjen. I've been retired for about seven years now and I think this last year, I've finally begun to relax and appreciate it. It took me a while to get off away from the compulsion to 'accomplish' so no more to-do lists! Wahoo! I just get up in the morning, check the weather and take it from there.
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Debby you expressed exactly how I feel. I still have a compulsion to accomplish. Therefore, I feel guilty and am often overworked. Retirement is just not relaxing, let alone fun.
 
I love retirement.at last a chance to do things when you want them, get up, or have a coffee or lunch, go out or stay in , be active or be as indolent as you like for the day, loaf in a chair and read a book.What is not to like?Time to think as well, maybe not great philosophical thoughts but a little pondering.
 
This much I know... trying to live every day as if it were your last is not the answer because it will surely kill you. However, that said, I can't even' sleep-in' without feeling guilty. I work hard (too hard) at being retired. I wish I could just take a big chill pill and mellow out, but I can't or won't allow myself the freedom to just let go. Like all the'retirement lovers', I too see the benefits and joys, but then it always seems to end with more guilt and another irritating thing to do on the 'to-do list'. My only hope is that once the serious to-do's are cleared from the list, I'll be able to brush the rest aside and enjoy life.
 
I'm thinking, like anything else, there will be a period of adjustment when I retire.. After all, when you have worked for 40+ years, it's all you know.. and you have to allow yourself time to adjust to not working and to establishing your new life style.
 
Skyking I am with you. Up to the Great Recession I always prided myself on being able to do what I wanted. Early years college professor, loved it. Then started a business and was fairly successful.Loved it. Never, ever wanted to retire. Doing what I wanted was great and moderately successful at it too. Then came the recession and it seems like my bottom fell out from under.
Got a position adjunct teaching but that was cut short by Obamacare, couldn't work more than 2 classes. Trying to get my business up and going but seems like I am treading water. Tried new avenues for making money but nothing flew. Things just aren't the same, and I don't know if my get up and go, got up and left, or what. Maybe I am just feeling sorry for myself and blaming old age(69) for all my problems.
Maybe I am just using this forum to let out my frustrations with life.
Come on people tell me to "suck it up"
 
GeorgiaXplant said:
It would be fine if DH hadn't died, but without him I need something to keep me occupied and keep me out around the lights and the people. I just don't want to be one of those crazy old cat ladies who sits around and lives on memories or spends my time feeling sorry for myself (something I probably do way too much of!). Working gives me something to concentrate on besides woe-is-me.
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A "Georgia Peach" transplant, eh? Wonderful attitude and praise-worthy direction! I, for one, envy you! And, LOVE YOUR SIGNATURE! A guy on my other forum wrote what might be a sequel: "You don't own a cat. A cat owns you". imp
 
I set the alarm for gym days as I like to get there and done and get back home before lunch. I even set the alarm MWF in Thailand to get to the gym when it opens and before it gets too hot to workout.

I don't mind setting the alarm to get up to catch a flight somewhere good.
 
We are both so glad we retired We've taken up walking, not too far it has to said but we are getting further than we used to. When we were in our 20's we were hill walkers but that is not an option at the moment. My husband took up water-colour painting 20 years ago and has more time for it now. I knit, crochet, do tapestries and cross stitch and I've just finished a candle making class. We moved to a smaller house in 2013 and have been busy in the garden on fine days. We have a large, old, black labrador she doesn't get about as much as she used to, but then I'm a bit slower too:eek: We made new friends when we moved, but haven't lost touch with the old ones.
 
My wife just retired at the end of May (age 59) and I've started working part time, three days per week from my house. I'll retire at the end of Feb. 2016. Already I'm getting a taste for what retirement may be like and so far I'm enjoying it. I've just turned 60. My wife and I have worked hard all of our adult lives and want to have the time and energy to travel a bit, see our grandchildren (in the UK) more frequently and just enjoy a less hectic life. She put up with my often insanely busy schedule for many years, and now I feel that we're starting to reap the rewards for all that hard work. Thus far we're taking day trips, exercising more and just having more time "we" time. I look forward to starting full time retirement next year.
 
Still struggling now with the compulsion to accomplish, and guilt if I accomplish nothing. I guess it's a side effect of all those years with the "Puritan work ethic," and too much of my identity tied to my work. I'm getting better at it, but it has been slow going.
 
I retired in 2006 after salaries dropped so much it wasn't worth my time to commute. Convinced my spouse to retire at the very end of 2009. Good financial plnng allowed us to retire without any problems from the market gyrations. Have been enjoying our retirement ever since.

We do a regular round of travel in driving trips around Northern CA where we live. Incredibly beautiful and so relaxing to travel midweek instead of cramming everything into a weekend or two. We're foodies and there's a long list of new restaurants to try that just keeps growing! In between we do our hobbies and continue over-improving our small home, LOL.

Current project is the master bedroom, which I like to describe as "big, but not beautiful". We're trying to change that, and have our fingers crossed that everything will come together by the end of the year, and look the way we think​ it will. Fingers crossed!
 

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