Literally: Life After Fire

[Stormy Kromer]

This is a wonderful reminder.

Every once in a while I feel like I "need to do something" in retirement.
Then I remind myself that I worked 38 years full time, as an RN, doing for others.
Now, my "something" is taking care of myself. I do what I want every day, spend time with grandkids, volunteer at a local food pantry monthly, read, garden, etc.
Retirement Life is great!

Thank you. You are an Angel. My parents needed nurses in their last days. We all might. Thank you.

 

[tryan]

Makes me think of a friend... assets in the multi millions. Empty nested. Wife working as a teacher. She wants OUT. Doesn't feel safe in the school. And he says "suck it up! you need to max out the pension after spending 8 years raising the kids".

Really don't under stand this mentality.

 

[F.I.R.E User]

46 here but not FIRE yet. I am scared of old age and retirement. I suffer from mental illness now. Not sure what I would do.

 

[rayvt]

I have two purposes in retirement........

1. Read.All.The.Books.

I haven't finished yet.

1) The problem is that they keep writing more books. Although I still have War and Peace and a couple of Dostoevsky books as my emergency supply.

2) Not cats, but movies and TV series. Again, the problem is that I keep finding out movies and series that I never heard of but are recommended.

 

[street]

Everyone will react to ER different and because of how we are made up. It was mentioned earlier but you need to have a plan to what you are going to do when you ER. Retire to something not just ER.

I can only speak for myself but the first year was a huge change mentally and physically after ER. Work was very important to me, and I left at a very point in my career, so no hard feelings just wanted time for me, not the company anymore.

I have so many hobbies and outdoor activities I do I have not once got bored or looked back but kept focused on my new life and invented so many new things I love to do.

 

[Happy30]

I do not miss work at all and I loved my job! I am 58 and so glad I did this! Hubby and I are having a great time. Loving life so very much.

My job was never my purpose. My family always will be.

 

[akck]

I’ve been retired for 10 years now and the main reason other than RE was I no longer wanted to work for stupid people. My “purpose” after was remodeling the house. I went heavily on it for the first 2-3 years, but took more time to do a better job than the projects I rushed over weekends while working. My motto was there’s always more time tomorrow to get a little more of the project completed. Once DW retired, traveling became a bigger purpose and remodeling projects just sit there. My second motto is I did nothing today and I didn’t complete it. So I guess I fall into the group that doesn’t need a purpose. Whatever I’m currently doing is satisfying enough for me. In any case, my third motto was a bad day of fishing beats any good day of work.

 

[Koolau]

I can't say that FIRE was much of a transition for me. I (very) occasionally miss the people I left behind. Of late, I've thought just a little about the really important w*rk that I did for Megacorp, but would never want to go back. It's not quite been vacation for 18 years, but not far from it either. I guess everyone is different and YMMV.

 

[Chuckanut]

Retirement has been great.

Other matters weigh on me at the moment, and they would have happened had I retired or worked until I was 90. Thankfully, being retired, I have more options to remove some of that weight.

 

[pacergal]

I’ve been retired for 10 years now and the main reason other than RE was I no longer wanted to work for stupid people. My “purpose” after was remodeling the house. I went heavily on it for the first 2-3 years, but took more time to do a better job than the projects I rushed over weekends while working. My motto was there’s always more time tomorrow to get a little more of the project completed. Once DW retired, traveling became a bigger purpose and remodeling projects just sit there. My second motto is I did nothing today and I didn’t complete it. So I guess I fall into the group that doesn’t need a purpose. Whatever I’m currently doing is satisfying enough for me. In any case, my third motto was a bad day of fishing beats any good day of work.

(bolded by me)
almost spit out my coffee, had to read this to my husband--that reason was a big part of his ER. Some of the stories he would tell me......

 

[DrRoy]

I recall reading someone’s 4 stages of retirement, and the 2nd one was the “getting lost” thing. That never happened to me. My two main pursuits in RE are travel and photography. After a trip, I spend several hours a day editing the photos. I am always so happy to finish that job so I have some time to get back to a new book, etc. At RE, it was just a nearly seamless shift from the old to the new.

 

[TickTock]

It's not quite been vacation for 18 years, but not far from it either. I guess everyone is different and YMMV.

I'm only one month into retirement; for me, the transition has been realizing and internalizing that this is now normal life, not a turnaround or a vacation.

 

[Koolau]

I'm only one month into retirement; for me, the transition has been realizing and internalizing that this is now normal life, not a turnaround or a vacation.

If anything, I was surprised that I didn't need much internalizing to accept the "new normal." It just sorta seemed "natural." Probably weird, but that's been my experience. Heh, heh, w*rking seemed unnatural and FIRE seemed natural. I guess I was just born to be FIRE'd. YMMV

 

[deserat]

Very interesting thread - I am coming up on my second retirement. A late in life divorce led me to go back to work, although financially it might not have been necessary. I did get to go live overseas again for five years, and gain another pension - that was not part of the plan. However, this time is a bit different - nevertheless, I am a driven person, but I've figured out if I have some future plans, I am good mentally. As it is, I've already got trips planned out to fall 2025! In the mean time, I will spend time with my elderly father; we already have a 'date' to go see a local bourbon facility. I also will have lots to do on my new house and I will be rediscovering some athletic activities that weren't as easy to pursue over here. Will I get bored? Maybe....but then, I've always been able to find something interesting about anything. I also have a stack of books both physical and on my kindle to read; hordes of DVD movies and TV shows I want to watch; afghans I want to crochet (I attempt complex designs, so my mind is being exercised as well as my hands); some consulting work in my area of expertise (minimal but enough to pad the travel budget); and more article writing for the journal I am on the editorial board of...plus cooking, gosh, I'm getting tired looking at the list! In any case, I think I'm ready and if I'm not, I'll deal with that when I get there...

 

[Lewis Clark]

I've never agreed with the whole "find a purpose" concept. It just seems too lofty and perhaps altruistic to me.

In my mind, I replace "finding a purpose" with "finding things I enjoy doing". This is important to avoid becoming a couch potato.