I finally did it

[davidr04]

Well, here I am - retired at the ripe old age of 57. It's been an adjustment going from high flying, big bonus, salesman of the year to househusband. My wife is still in her career and will be for the next 5 years. She works around a lot of men and I am already getting a little paranoid she will find them more interesting than me. I am still looking for my passion but have not found it yet. Thanks for listening.
David

 

[Sarah in SC]

Well good for you, David! Try not to get too paranoid if you and your wife have a good relationship, then there's little for those overworked office mates to offer her that you, who has all day to dream up awesome stuff to cook for her, can offer!

 

[Blackwoodt]

My wife is still in her career and will be for the next 5 years. She works around a lot of men and I am already getting a little paranoid she will find them more interesting than me. I am still looking for my passion but have not found it yet. Thanks for listening.
David

Don't be paranoid, my husband has been semi-retired and working PT out of the house for years at the ripe old age of 51. I've been the one going off to the Megacorp and have been working around men in the construction business for 27 years.

After 20+ years I still find him the most interesting man and the love of my life! My husband has other friends who either work out of their houses, or are retired, and they usually hook up once or twice a week. Good luck on finding your passion, don't forget you can always do volunteer work!

 

[Alan]

Congratulations David

I hope you don't mind, but I added you to our 2010 hall of fame.

Enjoy yourself and don't worry about your wife, just be supportive of her while she is working. I know that when my wife ESR'ed she took on most chores around the house and made coming home from work each day so much better for me.

 

[Orchidflower]

Don't get paranoid about the men in the office...most likely scenario is it ain't gonna happen. What WILL push her away is acting paranoid and clingy now that she is still in the workforce and you aren't. Get your own interests and peak her interest with what new things you are learning I say. It's always interesting and fun to learn new things and have a mate who shares them with you.

 

[bbbamI]

Well, here I am - retired at the ripe old age of 57. It's been an adjustment going from high flying, big bonus, salesman of the year to househusband.

Congratulations on your retirement.

My wife is still in her career and will be for the next 5 years. She works around a lot of men and I am already getting a little paranoid she will find them more interesting than me. I am still looking for my passion but have not found it yet. Thanks for listening.
David

Hmmm...looking for passion? Start with your wife.

 

[Alan]

My FIL retired 5 years before my MIL at age 60 ( he was 7 years older than her). We were really impressed at how he handled it. Having never cooked a family meal in his life or cleaned a house, he took on those roles plus he started to pursue outside interests including both indoor and outdoor bowls.

He got MIL interested in indoor bowls a couple of evenings a week and by the time she retired they had a whole new social circle established so when they were free from w*rk they had a great time. Lots of other activities from their new circle of friends plus lots of travel to visit with their siblings, their children and grandchildren up and down the country, plus Scotland and the USA.

 

[Sarah in SC]

What are these "bowls", Alan?

 

[davidr04]

Response

Don't get paranoid about the men in the office...most likely scenario is it ain't gonna happen. What WILL push her away is acting paranoid and clingy now that she is still in the workforce and you aren't. Get your own interests and peak her interest with what new things you are learning I say. It's always interesting and fun to learn new things and have a mate who shares them with you.

That's great advice. I have heard pretty negative things about insecure husbands - bad for relationships!

 

[TromboneAl]

 

[Alan]

What are these "bowls", Alan?

It is a game of Kings and Queens going back 700 years and still very popular in England today. Where we stayed in Canada this year was very close to a bowls club so I know that it is played in other countries as well. In one famous incident, the Spanish Armada was sighted approaching the English coast and the warning beacons lit. When a messenger reached Sir Francis Drake he was playing bowls said to have replied, "the Spanish can wait until I finish my game".

Here is a description (with photos). Flat green is most common but I've also played crown green as well. Indoors they simply roll out green felt and play similar to outdoor flat green bowls.

Flat Green Bowls

PS

Sir Francis Drake

The most famous (but probably apocryphal) anecdote about Drake relates that, prior to the battle, he was playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. On being warned of the approach of the Spanish fleet, Drake is said to have remarked that there was plenty of time to finish the game and still beat the Spaniards. There is no known eyewitness account of this incident and the earliest retelling of it was printed 37 years later

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh, I see, like bocce. Okay, thanks! Interesting that it has such a huge following.
And to continue the thread hijack, we have a game invented here in our city (not Savannah, those posers), not much good for oldsters, but still has passionate followers, called half-rubber.
Half-rubber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[W2R]

Well, here I am - retired at the ripe old age of 57. It's been an adjustment going from high flying, big bonus, salesman of the year to househusband. My wife is still in her career and will be for the next 5 years. She works around a lot of men and I am already getting a little paranoid she will find them more interesting than me. I am still looking for my passion but have not found it yet. Thanks for listening.
David

Congratulations, David!

And let me tell you - - if your wife was going to find these men more interesting than you, she would have done the same while you were working. At least in my case, I find my sweetie to be even more interesting now that he is retired. He has time to explore more interesting things than the daily grind, and I presume you will too.

Does she really want to keep working? If I were you I'd worry more about resentment of the fact that she has to work and you don't.

 

[Cattusbabe]

Pssssst. Dim the lights, have her favorite wine ready and give her a foot massage when she gets home from work. Or. Do the candles and rose petals on the bed bit and shampoo her hair. My old man laid both of those on me and Lordy, lordy. I mean who would even notice another man after getting that kind of treatment at home.

 

[Nords]

My wife is still in her career and will be for the next 5 years. She works around a lot of men and I am already getting a little paranoid she will find them more interesting than me. I am still looking for my passion but have not found it yet. Thanks for listening.
David

Hot chicks really dig ER'd guys who do cooking, cleaning, laundry, and... windows.

Some days I can barely make it past the third house on our street.