One biggest "surprise" in retirement

[AnIntentionalRoad]

Fantastic thread!

 

[FIREd]

Retired 25 months. My biggest surprised has been how fast days go by in retirement! When I was working, the days and weeks seemed to drag on and on... Now, I barely have enough hours in a day and days in a week to do, well you know, "nothing"!

 

[grasshopper]

Retired 25 months. My biggest surprised has been how fast days go by in retirement! When I was working, the days and weeks seemed to drag on and on... Now, I barely have enough hours in a day and days in a week to do, well you know, "nothing"!

I like how you encourage us do some math to keep our minds sharp.

Ms G retired 6 months before me, I have been retired for 2430 days. If we both left the train station in opposite directions who would get home first.

 

[unclemick]

Layed off at age 49 (the plan was retirement at 63) - it took a while to make the mental shift from unemployed slacker to high class ER.

19 years and counting.

heh heh heh - this forum helped with my er mental development.

 

[FIREd]

I like how you encourage us do some math to keep our minds sharp.

Ms G retired 6 months before me, I have been retired for 2430 days. If we both left the train station in opposite directions who would get home first.

Ah yes, numbers is hard.

 

[Major Tom]

No surprises really. Unlike most others here, I didn't actually have a definitive beginning of retirement. I was laid off, spent 2 years on unemployment during which time it slowly began dawning on me that, gee - maybe I didn't need to go back to work after all? I've been living off my savings and investments for a year and a half now and it looks like this state of affairs will continue. I don't think of myself as retired - more like "semi-retired" or simply "a guy who doesn't work".

Anyway, I am an INTJ. My strong introversion means that seeing my SO once or twice a week is enough for me - that, and having a kitty around the place full-time. My main hobby is one that I pursue at home on my own, and it keeps me happy and engaged.

No big surprises but like others have said, I do wonder at how I was so committed to working for about 25 years. I also wonder at how it doesn't take much to fill up a day. By the time I've had breakfast, fed the kitty, checked e-mails etc and started on the main "task" of the day, the morning's half over and I'm already wondering what I'll have for a mid-morning snack, or lunch!

I have spent the majority of the last few years in my pajamas, but have recently started putting pants on some mornings. Well, you gotta make an effort

 

[Tree-dweller]

Still on my honeymoon with retirement at 9 months in. My biggest revelation was just how lazy I could be. I can be completely satisfied rising later (ie 7:30), reading the paper over several cups of coffee, browsing more news and sports online, doing the housework (DW still goes to w*rk), taking the mutt for a walk... You get the picture. Sure, I've got a bunch of handyman chores I try to get to when I think of them, but there's always tomorrow. I honestly feel a twinge of guilt when DW gets home and asks "What did you do today". Like I suspect the vast majority of the members of this forum, I have had one job or another since mid-teens, so I guess I have been deluding myself all those years. Turns out I am perfectly content not being gainfully employed.

 

[JmfromTx]

Two things I like much more than I thought I would, 18 months in. Sleeping until I wake up naturally, which is usually at day break. And the pure perverse pleasure I get at spending money without having to go to work. One thing that I don't like that also surprises me is how fast time is passing now. The weeks and months are zipping by so fast I can't keep up with what day it is half the time.

 

[MBAustin]

My biggest surprise is realizing how insanely busy my life was for the 10 years before I REd. I just thought it was "normal" at the time. I have plenty to fill my days now and a list of to-dos if I get bored. And I love using my well-honed management skills in volunteer roles as well as a little consulting on the side.

Bottom line - the flexibility to do what I think is most important at any given time is priceless.

 

[martyp]

Afternoon naps. Never did them. Never liked them. Went through every day with 6 hrs sleep. Now . . . a nap after lunch or around 4pm is the easiest thing in the world. Big surprise for me.

 

[WWDog]

My watch broke about a month before I retired. I never replaced it. That was over 10 years ago. I was always on the clock. My mother always said "If you are on time, you are late!" It has taken me many years to get that fear of being late partially out of my system. In retirement, I try to live unstructured days as much as possible. Sleep till I wake up now. I never bought a cell phone as I know that was a responsibility trap I didn't want to fall into. If someone wants to talk to me, they can call me on the home phone and the answering machine will get it. If I know who calls and want to talk to them, I will call them back. To this day, we only have a pay as you go phone for traveling.

Positive: We are saving money in retirement. Quite a bit of money and I am no financial planner. Extremely conservative (a bird in the hand is worth two in th bush) to maximize security. My wife then my dogs are my best buddies. Without a wonderful wife, retirement wouldn't be worth it. My dogs bring joy to every day.

Negative: Although my day to day life is quite unstressed, I find that I put pressure on myself to get projects done. The wife and I both had extremely stressful jobs and we still have dreams about the most stressful job situations like we were suddenly placed back in the old job and not qualified anymore to do the things we used to do.

I still remember the first day of retirement. It was the best day of my life as I felt a sense of freedom like nothing mattered anymore. At one point on that day, I drove down the road and just stopped at places I had never even considered going on a whim.

 

[BOBOT]

Just realized, after 5.5 yrs fired, that I still like Fridays and don't like Mondays.

Strange.

 

[ICNTR]

I love Mondays! We live in an area that also attracts tourists though. They start showing up on thurs or Friday. Fun to see them packing up on Sunday. By Monday we have our Neighborhood back. It is much less crowded for us locals during the week. Don't get me wrong. I like the tourists too and it is good for our area. Just a littler nicer and easier to venture out during the week.

Very surprising that Fri is now a "bad day" while Monday is the best!

 

[Tyro]

The biggest surprise to us is that we're busier now than we were before retirement.

 

[Southerngirl]

Biggest surprise is mom wanting to move in with us. Never particularly had a close relationship and i believe living 14 hours away has been a good thing. Still she is a widow and I feel an obligation to watch out for her. We compromised by agreeing that she should buy a house in my neighborhood once she sells her house up north.

Other than that the biggest surprise is my lack of ambition. Thought I would volunteer or find a part time paying job just to keep busy. Although I am occasionally bored, I am very reluctant to obligate my time on an ongoing basis. I love the ability to take off on a moments notice or do nothing at all for days on end.

 

[truenorth418]

I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.

 

[steelyman]

I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.

Remember that movie "Waiting To Exhale"? I think one needs to exhale after a career.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

For the folks here who have already retired, what was the one (or more) thing that happened after you retired that surprised you the most or you did not expect? Can be related to any area of your life (finances, health, family, hobbies, personal growth, etc) and can be positive, negative, or neutral.

My surprise was that I thought my wife wanted to retire also. It was rocky at first. Then we talked it over and worked it all out. She just wasn't ready and I probably put a bit of pressure on her. She keeps doing what she does. I go and do what I want to do. We found a happy medium.

 

[pb4uski]

I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.

+1 I can always do it tomorrow. I kept saying that about detailing the boat and now it is almost the end of the season as I still haven't done it.

 

[Dawg52]

No surprises here. I knew I was good at doing nothing.

 

[kumquat]

No surprises here. I knew I was good at doing nothing.

I want to rephrase for my own situation. Everybody always told me I was good for nothing.

 

[Walt34]

Another surprise: how long it takes to completely de-stress and kick back.

That one surprised me too. It took several years.

In hindsight, probably not surprising when one works in an environment where people might die if you screw up.

So although I'm working again, it is a low-stress job with a short commute and if things "go south" there I do have the option of packing my bag without serious consequences. And the unplanned-for income gives us additional options. Options are good to have.

 

[BOBOT]

I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.

Aw, you're still an amateur! I'm 5.5 yrs in, and getting lazier every day. Terrible, I know, but I've learned to accept it.

 

[RunningBum]

I hate to say it but I was surprised at how lazy I have become in retirement. Of the long list of projects and to-do's I had compiled, many are untouched after almost a full year.

I'd say this is it for me too. It's been a year and a half for me. My list wasn't that long, but mostly I wanted to go through each room in the house and organize it, since I never really did that when I moved in and lived here for only parts of each year unless a couple years before ER.

 

[Free To Canoe]

5.5 years in.
We are doing different things now than I envisioned. Have to keep reinventing this retirement thing.
One surprise is how little we pay in taxes.
Another is how much SS we will be getting in a few years. I planned the finances without trying to rely on SS but, in hindsight, this was a large mistake. It created needless financial worry during the market setback(s).