Another good early retirement story...
"I was fortunate to retire early from a thirty year career with the same company. Having risen through the ranks with this company, I gradually became "defined" by my position at work and in the community. My friends were those I worked with because these were the people I spent the most time with and with whom I seemed to have the most in common with. The retirement party in my honor was rewarding and reinforced my belief that I had made a difference in the operation and had helped numerous others succeed along the way.
My first two years into retirement were quite unsettling to say the least. I seemed to lose my identity and purpose except for my most cherished rolls as husband, father and grandfather. My "friends" gradually stopped calling (except for advice on work related matters) and we were seldom invited to the social activities held within this circle anymore. I hardly knew my neighbors because of my own indifference. I grew weary of people asking me: "What are you doing now?", like retirement at my age should not be an option. Perhaps it was my own "guilt" reaction to a very innocent question that even today, after being retired for five years, tends to bother me.
Buying the RV has helped a great deal. We now experience true freedom for the first time in our lives. Travel has liberated me from the need to be who I was. We have new friends with shared interests. When asked: "What are you doing now?", I simply say, "How much time have you got?".
Sorry this has been so long. In short, retirement can be a difficult transition. Each of us has to deal with it in our own way. You will find that like everything else worthwhile in life, it requires some work, a positive attitude and planning. Good luck!
Boomer"
B.
"I was fortunate to retire early from a thirty year career with the same company. Having risen through the ranks with this company, I gradually became "defined" by my position at work and in the community. My friends were those I worked with because these were the people I spent the most time with and with whom I seemed to have the most in common with. The retirement party in my honor was rewarding and reinforced my belief that I had made a difference in the operation and had helped numerous others succeed along the way.
My first two years into retirement were quite unsettling to say the least. I seemed to lose my identity and purpose except for my most cherished rolls as husband, father and grandfather. My "friends" gradually stopped calling (except for advice on work related matters) and we were seldom invited to the social activities held within this circle anymore. I hardly knew my neighbors because of my own indifference. I grew weary of people asking me: "What are you doing now?", like retirement at my age should not be an option. Perhaps it was my own "guilt" reaction to a very innocent question that even today, after being retired for five years, tends to bother me.
Buying the RV has helped a great deal. We now experience true freedom for the first time in our lives. Travel has liberated me from the need to be who I was. We have new friends with shared interests. When asked: "What are you doing now?", I simply say, "How much time have you got?".
Sorry this has been so long. In short, retirement can be a difficult transition. Each of us has to deal with it in our own way. You will find that like everything else worthwhile in life, it requires some work, a positive attitude and planning. Good luck!
Boomer"
B.
