What's Your Top Retirement Insight

[frayne]

Been retired just a tad over ten years and a had a grandson in year one of retirement and found my newest best friend. Being young enough to enjoy grandchildren has been the high point of being retired. Next, doing any damn thing I want.

 

[AllDone]

Coming up on 9 years. I was surprised at how much I've come to resent a schedule, once retired. Even a part time volunteer commitment fits like a hair shirt.

I really, really hate having to be anywhere at a certain time. The only thin that I hate more is driving at rush hour. I had plans for part-time work or volunteering before I retired. Forget that, too.

 

[Tree-dweller]

My top insight? Looking back at a job/career I was relatively successful at and thought I enjoyed while doing it, well...I look back and wonder how the hell I put up with the regimented BS for so long. It seems so alien now.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I really, really hate having to be anywhere at a certain time. The only thin that I hate more is driving at rush hour. I had plans for part-time work or volunteering before I retired. Forget that, too.

+1. We had too many interests at first so we dropped things with set, have to be there kind of schedules. We belong to clubs with activities but most are drop in kind of activities.

I interviewed for one volunteer job and they wanted me to work weekends. Even though Saturday and Sunday may not mean as much as they used to, weekends are still when a lot of local events get scheduled, and also when we can drive or take the train into the city and not have to worry about driving in rush hour traffic or standing room only on the train.

 

[razztazz]

My top insight? Looking back at a job/career I was relatively successful at and thought I enjoyed while doing it, well...I look back and wonder how the hell I put up with the regimented BS for so long. It seems so alien now.

That hit me too. I think back on what I did all those years and simply can't believe I did all that.

One thing you might call an insight was that everything I had always been told was important, and that everyone believes is important was bs. Made up by miserable people who just wanted everybody else to be as miserable as they were. But I was already drifting to that conclusion by 5th grade

 

[aja8888]

When I left Megacorp, they didn't erect a life-size bronze statue of me and put it in front of the corporate office.

 

[Helios]

I found that locking myself into certain expectations,( ie: things I would definitely do in retirement) was just wrong thinking. I have changed the things I do and dont do, quite a bit in retirement. And all for the good.

 

[Snowcat]

We tried not to take of anything new (community or volunteer commitments) the first year. The idea was to allow time for us to figure the whole ER out. We are just over a year. DH held to it well. He has just started exploring an opportunity with a small time commitment along with an educational and social component. Personally, I think it will be good for him. We was mostly busy with work or sports/working out before RE. This new activity will open up a new side of him.
Me on the other hand, I seem to get pulled into all sorts of things (this is not a new problem). "No" does not easily roll off my tongue. I am getting a bit more selective with my time with every month that goes by. I have a timely commitment that will end next summer. I am already looking forward to have the time back to do as I please.
Bottom line, it is okay to be selfish with my time. How I see it is that I worked hard for many years and I deserve it spend my time how I please.


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[texcurtis]

Retired since 1.31.15:
1. How much I enjoy Sunday nights, not having to gear up for work the next day
2. How much I don't miss work (although I enjoyed it most of the time)
3. How much naps are essential for my well being
4. Having time to improve family and friend relationships.
5. Deliberately keeping an open schedule to allow retirement to unfold, allowing new interests to grow in a way I didn't have time prior to retirement.


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[34rlsa]

As I write this... I am driving my wife's new car / Xmas present back to our home in Alaska to save a total of about $700 dollars vs buying from the dealer in Anchorage. The trip enable me to visit my son and daughter in law and our beautiful 8 month old grand daughter for a few days.

Freedom brother.... FREEDOM

 

[martyp]

I learned that while I am proud of what I did and achieved in my career I am able to say that that time of my life is over and it's time to move on to something else. I have no regrets about my w*rk life and no regrets about leaving.

I like to have a lightly structured existence. I have activities scheduled throughout the week but not to much and anything can be skipped if something better comes along. I am thankful every day for not being subject to the stress of my past career.

I also learned that I like naps. Never did before. Once I ER'd though naps . . . well . . . they are just great.

 

[papadad111]

I FIRED, did a global move of me and my family to a new country/city, started a masters degree, and got into a 20 hours per week volunteer role mentoring younger MBA students. All within first 6 months.

Am working with a couple students now to develop and teach a personal finance and financial well being course for mba students - amazing how many MBAs won't reach anything close to FIRE and how clueless they are about all things money.

Am looking forward to doing my part to start educating America.

I'm as busy as I was while at Megacorp - now my activities are unpaid but I feel like k have purpose.

Some stress too -- Taking my first final exam in 25 years later today.

I learned that everyone in the corporate world is doing the elephant dance. I learned that it's never too late to keep learning. I learned that some people really really struggle with change and when you love them, it's painful to see that struggle and it's really really hard to help. I learned that I can't say no and I want to do more things than there are hours in a day. Prioritizing will be important.

 

[Focus]

Here are mine:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/5-biggest-er-surprises-76016.html
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[Bamaman]

My problem is a sleep schedule I can't seem to find a good one. I might nap from 4-8PM then be awake until dawn then sleep until after noon. So a day like tomorrow when someone is coming to my house at 8AM will mean trying to sleep at night and get up in the morning. I hate having appointments and remembering what day of the week it is.

I can second this observation. 4-5 hrs. sleep is my max at one time, and I'm up very late. Best sleep is sometimes 7-9 a.m. But it's great being able to set one's schedule.

I've been retired 7 years. and my honey do list gets longer and longer with too many toys to keep up (boats, cars, ATV's) and 2 houses.

 

[Richard4444]

Never under estimate the value of doing nothing.

Rich

 

[Lcountz]

Funnnneeeeee!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lcountz]

Tree Dweller and aja8888 said it perfectly for me!!!!!

I LOVE being retired!!!

I really enjoy Sunday nights now (without the stomach ache), and early mornings having my coffee and seeing/hearing people drive by on thier way to work.....while I can relax and read or just enjoy the sunrise....

I too HATE having any kind of appointment or schedule. The free time is priceless....

I left at 57. I figured that since the day I crossed the threshhold into kindergarten at age 5, then school, part time jobs, then college, then career, 52 years was enough of dancing to someone elses tune......

When I occasionally run into people still working where I did, and they start telling me about how things are and what's going on and the new "initiatives", it sounds like a foreign language. Did I really work there and talk that talk at one time?

 

[lem1955]

papadad111: Would love to know more about how you made this mentoring gig happen. I want to help young people grok financial literacy too. I'm probably better suited to college age or graduate school age than high school kids, though I hope that others take up the earlier years. America needs more education about personal finance at all levels.

 

[Danmar]

Coming up on 9 years. I was surprised at how much I've come to resent a schedule, once retired. Even a part time volunteer commitment fits like a hair shirt.

9 years for me as well. I don't really regret the scheduling, after all we travel a lot which requires planning and scheduling. It's being told what to do. Had 35 years of that.

The biggest bonus in retirement is getting healthier. More exercise and eating better. Retirement is great and being fit and mobile will extend the active part of retirement. Couch potato may be a good investment strategy but it is an awful retirement strategy!

 

[Sojourner]

[A]t the risk of being drummed out of the early retirement community for apostasy, I can't stand doing nothing. I am happier when I have at least something positive to do each day that goes beyond reading books and watching TV/movies.

I still like a little structure to my days (with the emphasis on "little") - I don't like getting out of bed wondering what I will do all day

As a single 40-something semi-retiree with no children, I think the biggest insight for me has been that it hasn't been as natural or easy as I was hoping to maintain a healthy & fulfilling level of social involvement with the world. Pretty much all my friends and acquaintances, even those in their 50s and 60s, are still hard at it toiling away in the salt mines everyday. Makes socializing kind of challenging... especially when you consider that most people tend to want to talk about work-related things even during a casual dinner conversation. I have recently started to explore other channels like meetup.com to expand my social horizons a bit, and it's actually been a great experience just getting out there and meeting all kinds of new & different people. That's another great thing about retirement -- you can go to any meetup, anywhere, anytime, without worrying about your schedule!

I have also struggled with the "what am I going to do all day" issue pretty often. Even though I do some hourly consulting work for several organizations each week, I still have a lot of free time on my hands and haven't quite come up with a consistently satisfying way of filling those hours yet. I've only been semi-retired for about two years, so it's definitely a learning process that's constantly evolving.

 

[MRG]

9 years for me as well. I don't really regret the scheduling, after all we travel a lot which requires planning and scheduling. It's being told what to do. Had 35 years of that.

The biggest bonus in retirement is getting healthier. More exercise and eating better. Retirement is great and being fit and mobile will extend the active part of retirement. Couch potato may be a good investment strategy but it is an awful retirement strategy!

+1
On getting in shape/healthier. Since May DW and I had gone from a BMI of "obese" to "normal". I can't believe the difference. I no longer take any medications nor do I have symptoms of any disease. DW has reduced her meds by ~75%.

Things we couldn't do for years are now possible and enjoyable. Did I mention how much better our relationship is? Big bonus.

 

[braumeister]

Couch potato may be a good investment strategy but it is an awful retirement strategy!

Nice line!

 

[brett]

Don't sit around not doing all those things you planned to do. There will come a point where you are physically unable to do so.

Don't be afraid to change you lifestyle, where and how you live. Cut out the processed foods, eat fresh food, and get down to your prescribed weight. No phoney excuses-just do it. Especially if you plan to travel.

Get out and do the travelling that you planned. We do 5 months or more of independent travel per year. Now we have the time to plan and execute. Lot's of our friends go to Arizona and Florida for the winter months. Our view is why on earth go there when there are so many other interesting places we have yet to see. We want to travel this way while we can. We each have a long bucket list to get through. Florida and Arizona can wait-they probably will never make it to our list.

Don't live your life to any of the binding social mores that surround you. Do your own thing. If selling your home and downsizing or renting a lock/go then do it even if it is not the habit of your particular community.

As each day passes we realize that retirement for us is about experiences not assets or accumulation. Not only is our time limited, but our capabilities may be even more limited.

 

[athena53]

+1
On getting in shape/healthier. Since May DW and I had gone from a BMI of "obese" to "normal". I can't believe the difference. I no longer take any medications nor do I have symptoms of any disease. DW has reduced her meds by ~75%.

I LOVE reading stories like this! A lot of health problems are preventable but Big Pharma is always trying to sell you pills.

I was surprised at how easily I adjusted from a go-go schedule that started with getting up at 6:30 AM, followed by a commute and a 10-hour workday before the commute home, to very little scheduled. I do have a Toastmasters meeting on Thursdays and I get positively miffed if something else is scheduled on Thursday, too- I just can't stand the pressure! At first I thought about getting a PT job just to keep active and then quickly realized I did not want to sign up for anything that required me to be in a certain place at a certain time on a regular basis.

Now that we've downsized, I've developed a routine that includes a daily gym visit, housecleaning 3 to 4 times a week for about an hour at a time, and yardwork as needed. Some structure and some discipline is good.

 

[mpeirce]

I stopped calling it a vacation and simply call it a trip now.