You retirees w/ 10+ years experience, what's next?

[Nords]

Here's the questions to the description below: Were any of you in this situation 10 years ago? How has it worked out? Any surprises or other issues to watch out for? Anything you'd do differently?

Here's the description:

Am I missing something here in Paradise?

I ER'd 18 months ago (age 42) on a small govt pension that permits lifetime unemployment. Married, kid finishing elementary school, frugal lifestyle, with a retirement portfolio (& spouse's pension) overcapitalized to survive at least another six decades. We've survived & prospered through the bear market (so far). Life is good & worry-free.

Life is busy, too. Parenting, home improvement, exercising, reading, investing, and surfing (both ocean & Internet) more than fill our days and leave us happily exhausted by nightfall. Our to-do list is getting longer, not shorter. With all of these compelling interests, I can't imagine how I used to find the time to go to work.

Work was fulfilling and (mostly) enjoyable, but I don't miss it a bit. During the retirement process, we were heavily conditioned on how to seek further employment. Admittedly most of my less-frugal compatriots, with more kids and debts, will be employed for another 20+ years. And some of the others just can't imagine NOT being employed. One or two have even tried to retire and gone groveling back to their offices. But my father & father-in-law, my mentors, have been happily retired for 17 & 8 years with no issues. I feel lucky to have their help in overcoming the brainwashing.

So I can't believe that it's been 18 months already. I don't miss commuting, business clothes, meetings, suffering fools gladly, and 50-hour workweeks. I enjoy the tasks we've set before us but I can see that they'll dwindle in the next five years. I'm pretty sure that new interests will arise (and our kid will be a licensed driver by then!) so I don't see life getting less busy.

What the heck is my problem, right? Well, I'm a bit surprised to discover that I don't have one. Apparently I rightfully ignored the "You'll be so BORED!" and "But what will you DO all day?!?" warnings and I'm happy to say that I see plenty of self-imposed challenges in my busy future. I don't think I'll never chase a paycheck again and I don't think I'll ever revert to the office environment. I raise this issue more from an engineer's paranoia than from angst.

Advice? Comments?

[unclemick]

Will be eleven years in january 04. Engineers paranoia? Maybe - but luckily a tornado took the roof off in 95 and Hurricane George the front and back porch in 98 so the remodeling juices got satisfied. Also took a temp job for 14 months in 95-96 which more than paid for the remodeling.

I keep in touch - our retiree's group meets once a month and they are always looking for volunteer's to judge school science fairs - which I avoid like the plague.

It's amazing how fast the day goes 'doing nothing'. The desire to design, build, experiment surfaces periodically but it passes. Aerospace 1966 - 1992 ER'd Jan 1993.

Hello! Semiretired since 1993. My situation is just
like cut-throat. As one activity is dropped (due to age or whatever), there is always a big list of others that
I want to try, or maybe just do more of. I expect this
will continue until my demise. I recall once that my brother asked my parents "But what does he do all day?" That made me smile.

John Galt

Now here's a typical day (winter schedule):

Coffee with the wife before she leaves for work.
Feed and water livestock (read dogs).
Check e-mail.
Spend some time on financial/business issues.
Run errands/finish Christmas shopping.
Kill some time at Barnes and Noble.
Pick up mail/lunch with folks.
Clean up/fix up around house (househusband duties).
Exploring the woods with my black lab, Maggie.
Wife returns/cocktail hour and conversation.
Evening news, then a good book or video and/or back on the computer.

Summer schedule is similar, except add in boating, fishing, motorcycle and putzing in the yard.

Sure beats workin' !

John Galt