Poll:How would you grade your ER experience?

[Ready]

For those of you who have ER'd, I'm curious as how to you would grade yourself in embracing the ER lifestyle. Was it everything you dreamed it would be, or have you struggled at all with boredom or lack of purpose or direction?

I continue to find that I enjoy the challenges that come along with part time work, and I find myself a bit frustrated on the weekends because I don't get the couple of hours of mental stimulation that work provides for me, and I feel like I have too much time on my hands.

I also don't like the crowds that weekends provide, but that's not so much a function of embracing ER as much as the reality of living in Southern California. But while I can't wait until Mondays roll around for everyone to go back to work, I still find that I enjoy spending a couple of hours a day on work and would miss it if I fully retired. So I gave myself a "C" grade. I'd probably go for B-, but I wanted to keep the poll to only 5 options to keep it from getting unwieldy.

 

[REWahoo]

This is actually an "are you bored in retirement" survey. My answer is a definite NO.

 

[Nemo2]

Too early to tell for me...it's only been 28 1/2 years.....but...so far, so good.

 

[FlaGator]

Great questions.

As a single parent of school age kids, I'm not the typical ER. With an imperfect separation of ER from parenthood, I give the ER side B+. When I closed the door and handed over my keys, it was over, and the former daily grind to make a living only comes up when talking with my kids about the realities of working and supporting oneself.

I like the time I do have during the school day - some exercise, some social time, shopping, chores, but the structure of having kids at school imposes limits most ER folks don't have to deal with - the discretionary time ends at 4 p.m. Forget about overnight weekday trips.

On the ER side, I didn't quit working because I wanted to, that was the best decision for my kids, and I could. When the kids are gone I'll have to deal with the fact I like being engaged with people and helping them out. Having a partner when the time is right is the likely answer for me. Do some volunteer work, and that partially addresses that need. Recently rebuilt a closet for the GF and found that more satisfying than one of my regular volunteer activities.

Another example of why it's helpful to really understand one's self when you're no longer drinking from an intellectual and emotional fire hose

 

[ER Eddie]

I'd be surprised if anyone gave themselves a D or F.

So I gave myself a "C" grade.

I don't see any C's registering on the poll?

 

[rdy2go]

I'm never bored but I can't say that every day is a "blast". But retirement sure beats working!

 

[razztazz]

I've been retired 21 years and I cannot say it' "a blast" whatever that is. It's probably what everybody else would call "boring" but that's the way uh huh, uh huh, I like it.

 

[Ready]

I'd be surprised if anyone gave themselves a D or F.



I don't see any C's registering on the poll?

I thought I registered my own vote but I guess it didn't take the first time. It's there now. I guess I'm the only C. I sometimes feel like I'm failing ER. I don't like to admit it since I don't want to disappoint everyone on the forum.

 

[street]

If I'm bored it is my fault and sometimes I just want to be bored. I have so many things that I should be doing so bored is a very poor excuse for to say I'm bored. Lol

 

[Nightcap]

I wish the iOS ERF app supported polls.

There are days in ER I don’t do much. I love those days.

 

[Rickt]

2 weeks since ER! I have been working very hard trying to get all the weeds out of the flower beds, taking out dead bushes, adding weed barrier and mulch. It is back breaking work. Looking forward to a 3 week family trip to the east coast starting Thursday July 6th.

 

[scrabbler1]

I'm never bored but I can't say that every day is a "blast". But retirement sure beats working!

+1

Just knowing that I don't have to deal with the crappy LIRR any more (and they have been having loads of problems this year) makes my day better, perhaps not a "blast!"

 

[CyclingInvestor]

58, retired 10+ years, never been bored or even close. Cannot imagine what it would be like to still be working - and I enjoyed my job (programming).

 

[GSMAN]

I retired in January of this year so I am fairly new to this lifestyle. I can tell you that I am never bored and I am "living the dream" according to GSMAN! I wake up in the morning and decide if I am going to fish, go play racquetball with the guys or do whatever I please. Grandkids come over and swim several times a week so that keeps me busy too. I always try to do one chore a day. Doesn't have to be major, maybe even just changing a light bulb, but I check off the accomplishment box for the day! Someone recently asked me if I would consider going back to work if it was a "sweet deal" and I can honestly say I am not tempted the least bit! So yes, I am having a blast! If I knew retirement was going to be so much fun I would have never gone to work in the first place!

 

[ER Eddie]

I thought I registered my own vote but I guess it didn't take the first time. It's there now. I guess I'm the only C.

There are 4 now. You're not alone.

I sometimes feel like I'm failing ER. I don't like to admit it since I don't want to disappoint everyone on the forum.

You better shape up.

Actually I read plenty of stories from people who struggle in retirement. In a very retirement-positive community like this, I imagine it must be harder for people who are struggling to admit that -- they may feel as if they are not "doing it right" somehow, and so they remain silent, and so it looks like almost everyone is blissfully well-adjusted. Read The Retirement Maze if you want a sobering and pessimistic analysis of the problems some people face in retirement. Retirement can be a challenge for people. It's a big adjustment. It doesn't always go as planned, and it isn't always flowers and unicorns.

C is okay. You're doing however you're doing. There is no exam, and there are no right answers.

 

[Meadbh]

I answered B, because nobody has a life like A that I know of. If they do, then I want to know what they are smoking!

A little boredom is fine once in a while. It leads to reflection.....about how lucky (or prescient) I am.

 

[cranberryjoe]

I'm a B but it's my own damn fault. I have so many things on my list to do that sometimes I suffer analysis paralysis and can't decide what to do, so I do nothing. That used to happen at work too, but at least now I don't get dinged in a performance review!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We go out most days to either a museum, hiking at a park, a play, senior club activity, concert or some event along those lines. I'd rate ER a ten on a one to ten scale. I buy all sorts of annual passes, club memberships and seat filler subscriptions and then check the newsletters and event lists each day for the most interesting things to do. I have most of July pretty well planned out already and August and September are underway. The planning and anticipation are half the fun for me.

 

[RobbieB]

I have too many hobbies and interests to ever get bored. I even slack off from my hobbies because sometimes I just like to do nothing. Well not nothing, I just sit here in front of the box planning a new project or trip or food from somewhere distant.

 

[Major Tom]

I'm somewhere between a B and a C, characterizing my ER so far as,

"I quite like ER but find that I get bored occasionally."

I must admit that I miss the strong sense of mission and adventure I felt about life when I was younger. I still have broadly the same interests, but they don't thrill me in the same way. However, I'm fairly contented.

 

[W2R]

During my 8 year retirement thus far, I could never be bored. I'm dealing with inborn irrepressible curiousity meeting the tremendous intricacies of the universe to explore either on the internet or in real life. And then there's F, such an intelligent man who comes up with fascinating conversational topics that we explore in parallel and discuss back and forth. And then we live in such an amazing city, with history and so much more all around us.

Guess I need a 30 hour day.

Honestly, I have to spend a while unwinding right before bedtime each night, or I'd never fall asleep. I play iPad jigsaw puzzles and sudoku and solitaire to put my mind in neutral so I can sleep. Plus, I get up at a regular time so that I will be sleepy the next night.

I LOVE RETIREMENT! After so many years, I think I found my niche in life.

 

[texcurtis]

A- after 2.5 years. Maybe B+. Not exactly as planned but surprisingly it is full of contentment. I'm healthier, have better relationships, more creative, more rested.

 

[DrRoy]

I said B, but it is really B+ or A- so far 3 months in.

 

[Retire2017]

5 months in, Time flies like an arrow compared to last year around this time. Often don't know what day it is. Only took one week trip to the West. So far, enjoying every minute of it. No, not bored at all.

 

[Scuba]

I LOVE retirement! Had a very intense, often stressful, career that I mostly enjoyed, but have never missed it since ER 8 months ago. So far, I've been very busy with family visits, a 3 month retirement celebration trip, exercise and volunteer work. I also live in So CA and enjoy walking on the beach, biking, hiking, water aerobics classes, and stand-up paddle boarding. I keep my brain active by mentoring university students and occasionally making visits to campus meetings to present/lead discussions with business students. There are many additional interests/projects I haven't had time to try/do yet, such as classes offered to seniors through various organizations, decluttering our condo, trying new recipes, planning more trips, and reading more books. Also want to start weight lifting to supplement my cardio exercise. Not enough hours in the day so far!

I'm only 8 months in so my experience may change as I progress through retirement. If I decide I'm really bored, maybe I'll become a CFP and move away from our FA. So far I'm having way too much fun to even consider that though. [emoji41]