Is it really early retirement that we most want or do we want the absence of ...

[Sarah in SC]

Markola, I totally get the pondering. Sometimes I wonder what I'm chasing with such a vengeance, and if it is just the chasing that I find so appealing, in a goal-oriented sort of way. Sometimes I worry about the retiring from, instead of the retiring to, conundrum. But again, I return to the simple freedom of time, even if all I really do with my spare time sometiomes is...nothing.

 

[Markola]

Sarah in SC, I grew up next door to you in GA and, thinking back, my role models for FIRE were my grandparents, who were retired by the time I became aware. I never saw them work for money but they had full lives. If they wanted to take us fishing every day for a week, we went fishing. If they wanted to shell peas or clean fresh-picked sweet corn, they did, usually with friends while telling stories and making it fun. If my grandfather wanted to "go see how high/low the river was " aka have a tall Schlitz in the truck, we did. They were fully alive people and, to us kids, their lives were a lot more appealing than the adults who disappeared for the best part of every day. The only time our grandparents ditched us was when it was time for As The World Turns. I don't think they retired to anything, in particular, except their lives. I really think that's what drives me.

 

[imoldernu]

Once there were five-year-old twin boys,
one a pessimist and the other an optimist.
Wondering how two boys who seemed so alike could
be so different, their parents took them to a psychiatrist.

The psychiatrist took the pessimist to a room piled high
with new toys, expecting the boy to be thrilled. But instead
he burst into tears. Puzzled, the psychiatrist asked,
"don't you want to play with these toys?"
"Yes," the little boy bawled,
"but if I did I'd only break them."


Next the psychiatrist took the optimist to a room piled high
with horse manure. The boy yelped with delight, clambered
to the top of the pile, and joyfully dug out scoop after scoop,
tossing the manure into the air with glee.
"What on earth are you doing?" the psychiatrist asked.
"Well,” said the boy, beaming

“There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!"

27 years later... still lovin' the search for that pony!

 

[Sarah in SC]

Sarah in SC, I grew up next door to you in GA and, thinking back, my role models for FIRE were my grandparents, who were retired by the time I became aware. I never saw them work for money but they had full lives. If they wanted to take us fishing every day for a week, we went fishing. If they wanted to shell peas or clean fresh-picked sweet corn, they did, usually with friends while telling stories and making it fun. If my grandfather wanted to "go see how high/low the river was " aka have a tall Schlitz in the truck, we did. They were fully alive people and, to us kids, their lives were a lot more appealing than the adults who disappeared for the best part of every day. The only time our grandparents ditched us was when it was time for As The World Turns. I don't think they retired to anything, in particular, except their lives. I really think that's what drives me.

Awww, you just reminded me of such great memories with my grandparents, especially my grandmother. And yes, she would shush us up when the stories came on! It's true, there is nothing so appealing to us, even long after childhood, than stretches of time spent with good people, doing just what we want. Thank you.

 

[Markola]

27 years later... still lovin' the search for that pony!

Imoldernu, Thanks for that post. I can't say I choose optimism every time but I try to remember it is a choice and then pull that lever. Lately, I've been choosing to read this forum and articles like the one I posted at the top rather than the news and such.

 

[unclemick]

27 years later... still lovin' the search for that pony!

I know. After 22 years of ER some days it's very hard to to stay grumpy.

heh heh heh -

 

[Walt34]

Markola, I totally get the pondering. Sometimes I wonder what I'm chasing with such a vengeance, and if it is just the chasing that I find so appealing, in a goal-oriented sort of way. Sometimes I worry about the retiring from, instead of the retiring to, conundrum. But again, I return to the simple freedom of time, even if all I really do with my spare time sometimes is...nothing.

I sort of wondered the same thing for a while. But your last sentence about covers it. For a long time after retirement I thought I should be "doing something" but then I thought "Why? Who says I have to do anything? I'm retired, and if I don't want to do anything then that's what I'm gonna do!"

Today I didn't do much of anything. I flew an R/C helicopter a few times in the front yard, read up some more on putting a video camera in an R/C model and figuring out how to record video from a system I don't even have yet. (I'll probably end up asking some of the engineers here about it later.) And of course spend some time on this forum.

But isn't that part of the point of being retired? To do what you want to do when you want to do it and not have to care what anyone else thinks? Well, within reason and common decency of course.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

I sort of wondered the same thing for a while. But your last sentence about covers it. For a long time after retirement I thought I should be "doing something" but then I thought "Why? Who says I have to do anything? I'm retired, and if I don't want to do anything then that's what I'm gonna do!"

Today I didn't do much of anything. I flew an R/C helicopter a few times in the front yard, read up some more on putting a video camera in an R/C model and figuring out how to record video from a system I don't even have yet. (I'll probably end up asking some of the engineers here about it later.) And of course spend some time on this forum.

But isn't that part of the point of being retired? To do what you want to do when you want to do it and not have to care what anyone else thinks? Well, within reason and common decency of course.

Well I have not done much since I quit my job in May. I love it so far. I do have plans to keep myself busy but I have not acted on it yet and I am not in a hurry to do so. Maybe next week or....

 

[Moemg]

. They were fully alive people and, to us kids, their lives were a lot more appealing than the adults who disappeared for the best part of every day. The only time our grandparents ditched us was when it was time for As The World Turns. I don't think they retired to anything, in particular, except their lives. I really think that's what drives me.

Great post but in todays world grandparents are supposed to wear fitbits and travel to exotic places . They also do yoga and have highlights . They hit the gym five days a week and own matching kayaks. Retirement for grandparents is now too busy for soaps or a beer at the river but martini's at happy hour are okay .

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I sort of wondered the same thing for a while. But your last sentence about covers it. For a long time after retirement I thought I should be "doing something" but then I thought "Why? Who says I have to do anything? I'm retired, and if I don't want to do anything then that's what I'm gonna do!"

Today I didn't do much of anything. I flew an R/C helicopter a few times in the front yard, read up some more on putting a video camera in an R/C model and figuring out how to record video from a system I don't even have yet. (I'll probably end up asking some of the engineers here about it later.) And of course spend some time on this forum.

But isn't that part of the point of being retired? To do what you want to do when you want to do it and not have to care what anyone else thinks? Well, within reason and common decency of course.

This.

The best part of being retired (for me, that is) is the freedom to do as I wish, when I wish. If the weather is disagreeable to me in the least, I can just stay home. Procrastination becomes freedom.

Sent via mobile device. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

 

[RobbieB]

Yup. I'm painting the house now. Yesterday I put up a gallon and a half. Today I ache from yesterday so I painted not. Maybe tomorrow I'll paint some more. Maybe not.

Who knows? Such is the drama of retirement -