What do you wish you knew before you retired?

BlissfullyUnawareCanadian said:
I wish I had taken up art more when I was younger. Now my hands are not steady enough due to the arthritis. My oldest daughter is such a gifted artist at age 13. I am happy admiring her art, and paying for her lessons.
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There are other tools besides brushes. ;)
 

Aneeda72 said:
Actually, you will never know the good you have done throughout your life. A certain word said to a person at just the right time, a kind compliment to a child, a story told that someone took to heart, a hug to a stranger, and a dollar or a dime to a homeless person.

Even now we do not really live our lives in a bubble. Any time we interact with another human, we change their lives-sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But we make an impact. I am sure @officerripley you have impacted many lives-some for the better.
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You are right, Aneeda. As I look back over my life, I'm certain that some people who had an impact on my life had no idea they had done so, and probably wouldn't even remember the incident that had such an impact.
 

My life, for the most part has taken shape almost exactly how I hoped it would. Am I a millionaire? Nope - so there's a shortcoming. But I got into a field that I loved (and still like), hold no aggressions against anybody in my field and feel I can do what I do for another 10 years. Work-wise. I'm still an 8-9 out of 10. We'll see if that changes over the next few years.
 
Butterfly said:
I wish I would have realized how much I would miss the work I did. Not the job, but the actual meaningful work itself.
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How that resonates with me Butterfly. I tried to retire, it lasted eighteen months, nowadays I'm a sort of sounding board. I work on an ad-hoc basis with a local company, using the experience that I gained in forty-five years of management.

What I missed was the inter communication, the zest and the fulfilment of a job well done. As long as I have the health and strength I shall keep working. I was rather taken by Dolly Parton's observation on retiring when she said that she would rather wear out than rust out. That's not to disparage those who retire and enjoy it, my own brother has been bringing his handicap down, despite a hole in one he's still not a scratch player.
 

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