Yikes, I have been retired for one year!

[AmericanEagle]

Must be nice.
After my upcoming divorce, I’ll be so broke I will never be able to retire.

[29er]

I left my 34 year career with a large agriculture company at age 55. Being a mountain bike enthusiast for 20 plus years and a guy who always fixed his own bikes, I became a part time bicycle mechanic working at a friends shop. My plan to fully retire at age 60 just happened. I was able to do this because of a decent pension and 401(k) savings. And, also because my wife is still enjoying her career and earns a good salary. My plan is to get back in shape on my bike and play my guitars again. I played electric music part time in younger years but gave it up at age 40 when the biking bug bit me hard. Now I have time to do both!

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

I retired at 58.... 67 now and don't regret it for a minute....

I forget when I retired.

[RalphH]

I'm not wishing my life away or anything.... but I am REALLY looking forward to no-longer having to pretend to work

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Denny B

Conrats on that 1st year! Now just settle in and put it on cruise control...

I turned 70 last year with 15 years of retirement under my belt, and it's been without a doubt the best time of my life...

I remember the first few years after I retired, my former employer and a few other related businesses tried to lure me back to the fold...

My stock answer became "I wouldn't go back for half the hours and twice the money..."

I finally walked away at 67 after my former employer allowed me to work from home for virtually my last year at my highest pay level just to keep me around. The year before that, was not bad either as my travel was reduced by 80% and I worked from home three days a week.
I’ve been retired now for almost three glorious years.
I loved my occupation and my career, but count me among those who wished he would have retired sooner.

[guitarget]

"I forget when I retired."

Made me smile right out loud.

[gfirob]

My wife and I ran our own business for 30 years and I decided to fold it up at 68. Five years later (very fast years) I try to keep this in mind:

The two big milestones in life after work are the day you enter retirement and the day you enter the cemetery, so you should make sure you make every fleeting day count and enjoy yourself as much as you can.

Don't obsess over chicken (and you recognize a lot of stuff that used to seem very important as chicken after some health issue or other gives you a close brush with the eternal). Be kind, be generous and be grateful.

[Nyghthawk]

I retired this last July1st. Have been loving it.

Congratulations on your first year Horse!

[Mr. Jelly]

An aspect I love about retirement is that there's always tomorrow. I think about that when I get twitchy about something or other. Or when I don't feel like doing something. There's always tomorrow. And if not who cares? I won't.

[flaggerphil]

I retired right after I turned 61 eight years ago and have never looked back. And even with this cancer thing, being retired is the way to go.

[TBman]

10/30/2020 is my last day at work. I'm turning 65 in two months. Stick me with a fork, cause I'm done.

(Which will probably last about 2 months and I'll get a part-time job just to keep from going nuts)

[Bob in Alberta]

My last work day is 8/28/2020. My wife plans on working for about 10 months after that. I’m thinking that she won’t last that long.

[Photojeep]

My wife retired from teaching 11 years ago and my last day teaching will be 6/30/2023. Well, the teaching part actually ends in mid May but my contract runs out on that date.

As the British gentleman said above, I'm not trying to wish my life away but I am very much looking forward to retiring.

My wife has been enjoying it immensely!

Best,
PJ

[6L6]

Now 74, retired in 2004. Loving every minute of the past 16 years!

[tinnitus]

Retired at 62 (almost 65 now).

Counting my old commute, ditching a 40-hour career actually gave me back 45-50 hours for overdue home upgrades (floors, paint, bathrooms, kitchen, deck). So I've really never been busier, taking on stuff I ignored for years.

Wife is younger and plans to work 3 more years and retire at 59. I really don't mind ironing a pair of slacks for her in the morning, pouring coffee, getting eggs, toast, etc. And I enjoy hearing our friends telling both of us how lucky she is. I tell her too.

Taught myself to weld little statues and garden art. People say I should sell them, but I just give them away. Taller projects coming soon as I get better.

Suffering with hearing loss and tinnitus, I had to put the electric guitars and amps down. Not as sad as I thought I'd be. Every performing garage band I was ever in had unnecessary drama/egos, and took a LOT of hard work.

Searching now to find an acoustic partner and go kill at an occasional open mic, 3 songs at a time. Craigslist isn't all that productive, so I'm open to other ways to explore. Where/how do you guys look for players?