10 Ingredients for Retirement Bliss

[obgyn65]

"The day is coming when you may decide to depart the working world and join those lucky people living in retirement. You have paid your dues, and now it is time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Retirement can be a time to do what you have always wanted to do with your life.
Once you make the move, you want to get the most out of those days by living a second act that stimulates your senses and gives you a reason to get out of bed each morning. If you call it quits at 65 your retirement could last for 20 or more years. Here are some important ingredients that can help you live the best retired life possible..."

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On-Retirement/2013/08/02/10-ingredients-for-retirement-bliss

 

[mickeyd]

Nice list but they left out naps.

 

[NW-Bound]

Nice list but they left out naps.

And surfing the Web and reading and posting on this forum on your swinging hammock in between naps, without having to do it in a cubicle at work and worrying about IT finding out how much time you spend goofing off.

 

[W2R]

All that was left out, and instead they included "Being a good grandparent"?

Believe me, there are plenty of blissful retirees who are not ANY kind of a grandparent.

On the other hand, I suppose that being an evil grandparent would not be the key to a blissful retirement.... Hmm!

 

[scrabbler1]

All that was left out, and instead they included "Being a good grandparent"?

Believe me, there are plenty of blissful retirees who are not ANY kind of a grandparent.

On the other hand, I suppose that being an evil grandparent would not be the key to a blissful retirement.... Hmm!

I agree. Why does he have to include the grandparent stuff? Not everyone is a parent, let alone a grandparent. For me, part of being a blissful retiree is being childfree.

I agree with mickeyd about the naps.

But the biggest part of being a blissful retiree is simply not having to commute to work any more, not even 1 or 2 days a week. I like to watch the traffic and transit reports on the morning and evening news just so I say when there are problems and delays (which in the NYC area, are daily), "I am sooooooo glad I am not dealing with THAT crap any more!"

 

[Redbugdave]

And surfing the Web and reading and posting on this forum on your swinging hammock in between naps, without having to do it in a cubicle at work and worrying about IT finding out how much time you spend goofing off.

How'd you find out what I have been doing at work? That sounds like me! Have you been spying on me Oh, what the hell...I got 5 months left go ahead and write me up...

 

[Walt34]

No grandkids, but grandnieces, who are just as much fun to visit with, spoil 'em rotten, and then give them back.

 

[frayne]

Being a good grandparent to my five and seven year old grandkids is probably the most important priority I have being retired !

 

[eytonxav]

No grand kids yet, but seems like a solid list to me.

 

[MichaelB]

He forgot "sitting around the campfire singing Kumbaya".

My "bliss list" is different. It includes things like

- getting back at the kids by spoiling the grandkids rotten.
- remembering to ask people "are you still working?"
- in groups, asking which is the best age to start Social Security, then walking away
- being able to dress any way I want
- going to the cinema on weekdays during the afternoon to see blockbuster movies without waiting in line or putting up other people's with obnoxious kids

Note - this is not a comprehensive list, just a few examples. Retirement is awesome!

 

[Nobulife]

Bliss is never having to wear makeup and dressing casual, extremely casual. And having lots of time to source those casual clothes from thrift stores and never having to go to a mall for the rest of my life.

 

[ER Eddie]

It would be interesting to each make our own top 10 lists. Mine would look something like this (in no particular order):

1. Plenty of time for learning to understand myself and others better, pursue happiness and peace of mind, "personal growth," and better ways of relating.
2. Plenty of time for spiritual growth and understanding, including exploration of traditional religious approaches as well as new agey and/or paranormal stuff.
3. Lots of time alone, checking in, questioning, reflecting.
4. Taking good care of myself physically -- physical activity, good food, regular checkups and screenings.
5. Relating to other people, including both casual and more serious connecting; friends and family; intimacy.
6. Caring for animals, including my own, plus helping out animal welfare causes.
7. Resting, relaxing, doing nothing -- just free, unstructured time.
8. Entertainment and the arts -- TV, movies, games, music, fiction; high art, low art, and everything in between.
9. Time spent in nature, appreciating it, connecting with it -- from the simple walks to more extended camping excursions.
10. Work of my own choosing -- some kind of project that engages my mind, challenges and stimulates me.

 

[truenorth418]

For me, part of being a blissful retiree is being childfree.

"

+1

 

[bjorn2bwild]

I once tried 2hrs of advanced yoga class with with DW. That gave me a nasty blisster.

 

[Gotadimple]

Too touchy, feely. Can be summarized into one main category:

Perfecting your goofing-off technique.

It may take me the rest of my life to get it right!

-- Rita

 

[imoldernu]

So far, so good...
The only addition I'd make would be to put a timeline on some of the suggested "ingredients"...

If you call it quits at 65 your retirement could last for 20 or more years

As of now, the "more" part is becoming "more" important.
After age 70, the self sacrifice part lost a little luster.
No mention of bucket list per se... now, that comes in large part from the looking back (memory).

The article is right-on...

bliss (bls)
n.
1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy.
2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.

 

[David1961]

It would be interesting to each make our own top 10 lists. Mine would look something like this (in no particular order):

1. Plenty of time for learning to understand myself and others better, pursue happiness and peace of mind, "personal growth," and better ways of relating.
2. Plenty of time for spiritual growth and understanding, including exploration of traditional religious approaches as well as new agey and/or paranormal stuff.
3. Lots of time alone, checking in, questioning, reflecting.
4. Taking good care of myself physically -- physical activity, good food, regular checkups and screenings.
5. Relating to other people, including both casual and more serious connecting; friends and family; intimacy.
6. Caring for animals, including my own, plus helping out animal welfare causes.
7. Resting, relaxing, doing nothing -- just free, unstructured time.
8. Entertainment and the arts -- TV, movies, games, music, fiction; high art, low art, and everything in between.
9. Time spent in nature, appreciating it, connecting with it -- from the simple walks to more extended camping excursions.
10. Work of my own choosing -- some kind of project that engages my mind, challenges and stimulates me.

ER Eddie, This is just about exactly the same as my list, except for item 6 - I don't own any animals.

 

[ER Eddie]

That's cool, we must see life in pretty similar ways. Except for the animal piece, anyhow, which is a pretty important piece for me.

I just happened to be putting that list together, and I thought I'd cut and paste it into this thread. I'm trying to envision my retirement. I've gotten a bunch of ideas from various books, and then I took several passes through my journals for the last 30 years in an effort to identify peak moments and the things that really moved my life forward. That list is the distilled result of all of that thinking and over-thinking.

Just trying to get a sense of where I'm headed. Or where I'm intending to head, anyhow. Who knows where I'll actually end up.

 

[seraphim]

Being a good grandparent? I'm not planning on being ANY kind of grandparent. That's too much like being a parent, which is work lol. If my son makes them, he can raise them

Unfortunately, DW feels entirely differently, and I know who's going to win that one...