One more day until the big "R"

spock · #1 05-23-2020, 07:34 PM

This coming Wednesday the 27th of May will officially be my final day of work.

Hard to believe actually. The COVID-19 pandemic had left me unable to work beginning mid March through the first week of May, and I could have theoretically just not gone back at all for the final three weeks, but I just didn't want to go out that way. I suppose that attitude makes no sense to a lot of folks - including my wife who said she'd have been a vapor trail in no uncertain terms - but I just wanted to walk out on my own terms and have an opportunity to pay my respects to my work family and see some of my long term patients one more time.

One of my patients who has been retired for some time offered the following advice a few months back upon hearing of my pending retirement: while you may think being footloose and fancy free and spontaneous in all manner of daily activities is the way to go, it may serve your interests to actually get into some type of daily regimented schedule like you have been for the last 37 years and allow forays into spontaneity and whimsy from that framework as the inspiration strikes or necessity dictates.

Turns out my 6 week pandemic quarantine provided an unplanned but eye opening pre-retirement preview, and I did just as he had suggested and found it much to my liking. I went to bed at the same time, awakened at much the same time, and had a schedule of the day's activities and goals waiting for me each day. Didn't mean I couldn't alter my plans as I had time for changing horses built into my schedule, but I found myself getting a lot more out of my day and feeling a great deal more confident that this venture into the unknown was going to be ok after all. When you've been working in some form or fashion for most of your life beginning with paper routes and running through summer jobs and then career and . . well, when then it just stops, it is both exciting and a bit scary as well if I'm being honest.

Fortunately, I am in excellent health, have a wonderful loving wife and family, and more interests and passions than I have hours in the day to pursue them, but I see that as a good problem as I hear so many say they don't know what they'll do in retirement and I just can't imagine that.

So I've spent the last week or so saying, "this will be the last time I do this or the last time I have to do that or whatever and it really seems kind of surreal. But it's real, to be sure, and I'm raring to get on with it.

Man o man!

M19 · #2 05-24-2020, 05:02 AM

Congratulations! I still have a few years of wage slave status myself.

Murphy Slaw · #3 05-24-2020, 05:41 AM

Congrats !

I'm there, but haven't pulled the trigger yet, so am still working.

First off is the pay cut.

Then this global anarchy evolved in just a few short weeks. I'm not convinced the forces are going to allow the economy to come back. I'll watch from the sidelines a bit longer.

As for schedule's and busy work, I've got that covered.

I've been putting stuff off for decades...…..

Dru Edwards · #4 05-24-2020, 05:57 AM

The Big "R" right around the corner. I'm sure you deserve it. Kudos for returning to work in May when you had the opportunity to close things out.

Here's to activities that avoid boredom and spending too much money.

RustNeverSleeps · #5 05-24-2020, 07:15 AM

Nice - congrats and enjoy retirement! I have probably 30 years left, myself... :O

Kerbie · #6 05-24-2020, 07:46 AM

Congratulations! I'm happy for you.

why2 · #7 05-24-2020, 07:49 AM

I certainly agree with the advice that you received and your choice of closure with the work structure and social connections. I retired in 2016 after 45+ years of very satisfying work. I do miss the social aspect of the work (a bit) and I covet my long term friendships that grew from life in general. Important connections as one moves on in "life".

So more time for reading, chores, guitar(!), family and friends.

Congrats. Breathe deep. Smile. Hug those you can. Contribute. Take care.

why2

KevWind · #8 05-24-2020, 07:56 AM

Hey congrats I retired at 57 am now 70 and have never looked back or missed it even for a moment .

Earl49 · #9 05-24-2020, 08:30 AM

Congrats! I am self-employed and really like my engineering work. (I probably will miss it when I hang up my shingle). Even so I plan to retire in about two years as soon as I can start taking Social Security.

I've done the math and the penalties for making over a certain threshold after accepting SS early are steep - I could end up working for nearly nothing. Plus I would have to live past 75 to break even versus taking it at 62, and seeing age 75 isn't likely. So I am not waiting until full retirement age (66½) to get my money, and I really don't want to still be working at that age either. There is so much guitar playing left to be done.....

gfirob · #10 05-24-2020, 08:59 AM

Congratulations on a well earned rest. I retired at 68, five years ago and wanted a completely different life. I closed my business, sold my house and moved to a little village in the Green Mountains of central Vermont. It is as different a life as it can be and I find that to be a comfort. I think retiring is the greatest racket going. Enjoy.

tbeltrans · #11 05-24-2020, 09:00 AM

Congratulations, spock! I suppose I could say to you - "dammit Spock, I'm an engineer, not a doctor!", and it would be true.

I have two days next week remaining on this year's short term engineering contract and then I am re-retired. I have been doing this since I retired at 60, 7 years ago, and it has been a nice working arrangement.

For professionals, taking some part time work is worthwhile because it keeps us (relatively) sharp, gives us some structure that carries over for the rest of the year that we don't work, and as a professional it pays well enough to be worth our time. Also, if there is a shortage of practitioners in your particular field (as there is in engineering), then you are doing your bit to help out.

Also, volunteer work is a good thing. I teach ESL through the library system, except that the whole COVID-19 thing has temporarily put a stop to that. I will go back into that when the program starts up again.

Tony

RP · #12 05-24-2020, 09:07 AM

In a way the covid19 stay-at-home period may resemble retirement, but in many important ways it doesn't. It's kind of like comparing Candyland and Dungeons & Dragons because they're both board games. I've found that the best thing about retirement is having options, and we'd all agree that many or most of life's options have been restricted if not unavailable during this period. There's also a big difference between being off from work and knowing that you'll go back to work (like I did many times as a teacher) and being off and knowing that you'll never have to go back to work if you don't want to.

Throughout our adult lives most of us learn the simple lesson that when we go to work, we earn money. However, in retirement, we have to unlearn the previous lesson and now accept that we can do whatever we want, except go to work, and we still get paid. As someone who increasingly began to dread going to work, that's been a fun lesson for me.

When I was teaching and had summers off, it was not always as relaxing as you'd think. Oh yeh, initially it was in June; but then the idea of going back creeps into your mind. I'm not saying that I or fellow teachers should be pitied because we had eight+ summer weeks off and still got paid. I'm just saying that it's different than retirement which is very different than the covid19 stay-at-home shutdowns. Tomatoes and apples are both red, round edible fruit; but chances are you wouldn't put apple sauce on a pizza or pasta. I hope that you enjoy The Big R as much as I do or at least will when the lockdowns are over...

CoolerKing · #13 05-24-2020, 09:17 AM

I am going to sleep for about a year when I retire.

tbeltrans · #14 05-24-2020, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthewpartrick

I am going to sleep for about a year when I retire.

This is the most clear and direct advice we will ever see for what to do in retirement.

Tony

David Eastwood · #15 05-24-2020, 09:33 AM

Congratulations!

I retired on April 1st this year. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made, closely followed by all the decisions along the way that enabled it

Granted, the pandemic has put a bit of a hitch in our travel plans, but we’ll get there in due course. In the meantime, I find myself keeping as busy as I want to be.

As I’d been working from home for the previous 14 or 15 years, my wife is used to having me around, so little adjustment has been required there. I do especially enjoy having time for projects during the week which would previously have been crammed into a weekend - and, of course, having a lot more time, and desire, to play my guitars.