What do you miss?

[audreyh1]

I really can't think of anything I miss! Not even the paychecks! LOL!

What do I miss the least? (i.e. most thrilled to not have in my life anymore) - the daily commutes! And my commute wasn't really long, just 20 mins each way with so-so traffic. It was just twice a day, every day on and on and on - what a drag!

Audrey

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I miss seeing the range of people I worked with. I still hang out with a dozen or so folks that I really liked, but there were a few hundred or so I saw once or twice a month and had some nice talks with, but never became friends with.

Most folks there were well educated, intelligent and interesting in one way or another. In a few cases, the interesting part was how the hell they were still employed.

And yeah, the payouts were kind of nice, as were the assured full range of benefits. Funny how we took the latter for granted.

What I dont miss is the bureaucracy, the politics, the BS, the meetings, the thousands of powerpoint slides, 250 emails a day, etc.

 

[audreyh1]

Wow! You know the people I have met since retiring have been way more interesting than the people I worked with. This might have something to do with the fact that I meet these people when I am at play!

Or is it just that you meet a lot of interesting people while traveling?

Audrey

 

[Cattusbabe]

What (if anything) do you miss about the job?

Not a blessed thing. After 32 years in the nursing profession I can't think of any thing I would like to have back or any experence I would like to re-live.

Mind you I made a good living and feel I did a lot of good along the way but I don't miss any of it and am glad I am no longer on those floors.

I was in the hospital a month ago and I got to talking to some of the staff, you know trading old war stories, even got to give advice to a student nurse, the voice of experence, and it was fun and brought back memories but that was it. I felt thankful that it was them and not me.

No more 12 hour shifts, no staying up all night, no more rotating shifts, no manditory overtime. etc., etc, etc.

I did my bit and now its over. Time for a new generation to make their mark and for me to explore and enjoy this new phase of my life. That tells me I was ready to hang up the cap.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Wow! You know the people I have met since retiring have been way more interesting than the people I worked with. This might have something to do with the fact that I meet these people when I am at play!

Or is it just that you meet a lot of interesting people while traveling?

Audrey

You dont live where I live.

 

[Dawg52]

In just a few short weeks I will be able to tell you what I miss. Three of my old college buddies work with me so I'm sure I will miss seeing them on a daily basis. No checks coming in will take some adjustment. I will probably continuing working a day or two a week for a few months, so that will help in my transition to a new lifestyle. But I really do look forward to my new freedom. Golf will keep me occupied, so I don't expect too many problems. Time will tell.

 

[Sundance Kid]

The paychecks. And that I never took the opportunity to knock my lying, two-faced,
egotistical, a** kissing, self-serving, do nothing Supervisor, on his Fat A**!!!!!

"When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there!!"

Don't miss work, for One Second.

 

[ex_CFO_now_RVer]

Okay, I am being honest. I miss being wined and dined by those seeking to get my business. You know: insurance brokers, bankers, actuaries, attorneys, investment managers...have been to a lot of nice places and spent a lot of their money. They kept trying but, I always remained loyal to my principles of doing the right thing. I rarely switched consultants.

Also, while I did not travel much, our quarterly Board Meetings were in pretty nice places.

Now DW and I pay our own.

Dave

 

[rogerc1944]

I don't miss a thing about work. My job remained stressfull right through the last hour. My boss put me in charge of a brand new project at 2PM on the day I retired. I thought he was kidding and said so! He was serious! I said, "Do you know this is my last day?" He said he did but that he just wanted to get this project underway. Clueless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sgeeeee]

I don't miss a thing about work. My job remained stressfull right through the last hour. My boss put me in charge of a brand new project at 2PM on the day I retired. I thought he was kidding and said so! He was serious! I said, "Do you know this is my last day?" He said he did but that he just wanted to get this project underway. Clueless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like he was looking for a way to rationalize the failure of the project. I can hear him explaining why the project was 3 months behind at the quarterly review: "This project has been severely impacted by the unexpected departure of the project leader." You were a perfect scapegoat since you wouldn't be around to defend yourself.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, blame the dead guy.

I got the "project of death" on my way out of the company but they gave it to me a couple of weeks before I left. Basically it required putting together a strategic long range plan to defeat the company perceived as our number one competitor, an assessment I didnt agree with.

That was kind of fun. For a change I got to kick disruptive people out of the meetings, tell people I didnt care about their stupid ideas and opinions, and just throw together what sounded reasonable to me from the input I got. No fear of reprisals or political issues down the road.

Presented it to a panel of a half dozen VP's, who said it was the best strategy presentation they ever got.

I think my boss knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[Leonidas]

I don't miss a thing about work. My job remained stressfull right through the last hour. My boss put me in charge of a brand new project at 2PM on the day I retired. I thought he was kidding and said so! He was serious! I said, "Do you know this is my last day?" He said he did but that he just wanted to get this project underway.

Wow - I'm sure you don't miss that guy. There are so many ways to come back on that comment..."sure, you wait right here and I'll go get started." would have been my first thought.

Okay, I am being honest. I miss being wined and dined by those seeking to get my business. You know: insurance brokers, bankers, actuaries, attorneys, investment managers...have been to a lot of nice places and spent a lot of their money. They kept trying but, I always remained loyal to my principles of doing the right thing. I rarely switched consultants.

You tease you. You let them wine you and dine you while flirting, but you never came across with the goods, eh?

I think I might have dated a younger female relative of yours.


Dave, I'm just kidding. I'm actually jealous - nobody ever wanted to woo me that way.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We had one of those guys, sat in the office next to mine. Had absolutely zero power to buy or do anything, but he had a constant stream of sales gals taking him out to lunch and writing up proposals for him.

 

[Martha]

I'm actually jealous - nobody ever wanted to woo me that way.

Given that you were in law enforcement, you probably would have to arrest those who wanted to woo you.

 

[Leonidas]

Given that you were in law enforcement, you probably would have to arrest those who wanted to woo you.

I did get an interesting offer from the King of the Gypsies once. I had arrested his eldest son while investigating his fraudulent car sales practices. We also wound up seizing the RV he had tried to sell me. I had very little experience with gypsies and did not know who this kid's dad was, or how big a disgrace it was to get caught in the process of ripping someone off.

The whole royal entourage showed up at our office and I find myself talking with the King and a "fixer" introduced as the kid's "Godfather". They all dressed like mobsters and the Godfather even talked in that same raspy voice as Marlon Brando did when playing Vito Corleone. He wanted to make me an offer.

Twenty years have gone by, but I can still remember what he said.

So, Detective Leonidas, we got a problem. You got our boy, and, eh, you got our motor home-ah. You can't have-ah both. So, why don't we do this? We take-ah the boy, and you keep-ah the motor home.

I almost peed on myself it was so funny. The only reason I didn't arrest him for trying to bribe me was I figured I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face on the witness stand. Plus, nobody had ever tried to bribe me before and I wasn't even sure what the elements of the crime were. Finally, I wasn't sure if he was being incredibly brazen or naive. In any event, I couldn't wait to go back inside and tell my co-workers what had happened. They all found it hilarious.

 

[Tekward]

I appreciate both the serious discusssion and the feedback from the lucky escapees.

A few catch-up thoughts before I head off to you-know-where.

135 pay checks is bi-monthly. I turn 50 this year and the 55 early retirement option is my goal. Yeah, I know - save your sympathy.

I can empathize with the people that hated their jobs, especially the nurse. I spent 24 years in nuclear power on 12 shifts with constant stress and the feeling of being trapped wore on me constantly. I actually had a manager tell me that they blocked a promotion because my NRC license was too valuable to the plant. That was the last straw. Of course I worked a night shift on my last day - although my Hawaiian shirt in the super formal control room wrinkled a few brows.

My new job in the Pharma industry is much better and my frame of reference helps maintain my perspective. Travel, while it has it's down side, is new & different and the company treats me well on the road.

Oh well, time to make the doughnuts....

 

[calmloki]

Hmm. Think i have a bit different perspective. Was self employed for maybe 7 years as a VW mechanic (small shop owner). During that time my gal and i bought sad little abused houses and apartments, plugged all our $$ and labor into them, folded rent money back in, bought more... Think it's been about 15 years since i had any wages - the maintenance and management of our 53 units is all gratis on my part. I know that 'cause the tax man says that the rental income is all "unearned income". 'Course that means my SSI amounts to doodly squawt. Most days i'm sitting in my slippers and doing bookwork and management chores and don't make it out of the house till afternoon to do maintenance.
No pension, no 401k, no employer covered healthplan. No pointy haired boss, no commute, no inter-office bickering. Have to take my own self out to lunch.
But i'm looking to divest of these properties - I'm tired of the tenants bickering with one another, destruction of units by people i give a break too, going to court and cooling my heels so the judge can give a non-paying tenant an extra month or so to find a new home. I'm tired of getting out of bed to drive 15 miles to let someone into their apartment because they lost their key. I'm tired of being available 24/7. One of the things that was really cool and really sucky was being on the beach in Sayulita - literally on the sand - and having a tenant call with drain problems and being able to reach the right plumber and get the problem resolved. Now i want to be on the beach and NOT have anyone reach me - or feel that i have to have a cell phone with the right kind of service so they can reach me.

 

[Nords]

Wow! You know the people I have met since retiring have been way more interesting than the people I worked with. This might have something to do with the fact that I meet these people when I am at play!
Or is it just that you meet a lot of interesting people while traveling?

Maybe it's because now you have a choice over who you have to meet!

I can empathize with the people that hated their jobs, especially the nurse. I spent 24 years in nuclear power on 12 shifts with constant stress and the feeling of being trapped wore on me constantly. I actually had a manager tell me that they blocked a promotion because my NRC license was too valuable to the plant. That was the last straw. Of course I worked a night shift on my last day - although my Hawaiian shirt in the super formal control room wrinkled a few brows.

Reminds me of about three-quarters of the submarine veterans who separated before they were eligible to retire...

 

[Goonie]

After I read this post Sunday night, I pondered it a little. And over the last couple of days I started a mental list of what I'll most likely miss when I bail out in about 10 weeks.

In no certain order:

Free use of the arc-welder.
Free use of the oxy-acetylene torch.
Free paper-clips.
Not much else.

When I went to pick up shop supplies today (for w*rk), I priced a new oxy-acetylene set, It will be in my garage before I ER.

I had already priced a generator/welder combo not too long ago. It will be in my garage around that same time.

I picked up some perty colored, plastic-coated paper-clips (500/ct) yesterday (on sale at a local discount office supply house). That should last me for a while after ER...maybe 28 years or so, then I'll have to buy more. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow and grab another pack of 'em just to be on the safe side!!

 

[janeeyre]

Absolutely nothing! Currently employed folks often ask me --- how do you fill your day? Do you think you should work a little? Oh, what a fallacy. I have been ER since July 05 and I wish I had ER earlier. My days --- family, friends, reading, fishing, yoga, pilates, movies in the daytime, walking/jogging, travel, etc. And I agreed (on my terms) to teach one class at a local university this semester.

 

[CybrMike]

Sounds like a solvable problem. Hire a property manager. Then try to sell the units off, or not.

Hmm. Think i have a bit different perspective. Was self employed for maybe 7 years as a VW mechanic (small shop owner). During that time my gal and i bought sad little abused houses and apartments, plugged all our $$ and labor into them, folded rent money back in, bought more... Think it's been about 15 years since i had any wages - the maintenance and management of our 53 units is all gratis on my part. I know that 'cause the tax man says that the rental income is all "unearned income". 'Course that means my SSI amounts to doodly squawt. Most days i'm sitting in my slippers and doing bookwork and management chores and don't make it out of the house till afternoon to do maintenance.
No pension, no 401k, no employer covered healthplan. No pointy haired boss, no commute, no inter-office bickering. Have to take my own self out to lunch.
But i'm looking to divest of these properties - I'm tired of the tenants bickering with one another, destruction of units by people i give a break too, going to court and cooling my heels so the judge can give a non-paying tenant an extra month or so to find a new home. I'm tired of getting out of bed to drive 15 miles to let someone into their apartment because they lost their key. I'm tired of being available 24/7. One of the things that was really cool and really sucky was being on the beach in Sayulita - literally on the sand - and having a tenant call with drain problems and being able to reach the right plumber and get the problem resolved. Now i want to be on the beach and NOT have anyone reach me - or feel that i have to have a cell phone with the right kind of service so they can reach me.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Judy.

JG

 

[wstu32]

what will i miss....
since i have type A personality, my line of work suites me. i do fear i will go nutz...
anyone have that fear before ER?

 

[yakers]

what will i miss....
since i have type A personality, my line of work suites me. i do fear i will go nutz...
anyone have that fear before ER?

Well, usually you can volunteer and keep busy. That works for my wife who retired from teaching last year. She "works" for a local college placing student teachers in classrooms. Not much time and definitely not much pay (I regard it as volunteer work for the pittance it pays) but she loves it. Most people with skills can find a good organization to work with.