What to do when you finally decide...

[Retire Soon]

more time on vacations
more time planning vacations
longer walks with dog
less time spent being in "a hurry"
more time for building fences, planting trees, home improvement projects, etc.
more time appreciating nature
more time reading books, magazines, newspapers, etc.
less time "stressing out"
more time feeling sorry for people who "have to make a living"
time to appreciate financial independence
no need to hurry as most things can wait until tomorrow or even the day after that
no need to rush through traffic as there are only rare deadlines to meet
more time to spend shopping for the best price on purchases
more time to "sight see" and appreciate what is around us
no rushing in the morning to get ready or drive to work
no more need to listen to complaints by co-workers
no pressure to "get ahead"
more time to listen for what people are really trying to say
more time to get physically fit
time to take courses in painting and drawing
time to write a book

 

[unclemick]

Hmmm

A few hours ago, I hopped in the truck and drove a few miles to the local Walmart - looked at the parking lot - duh ? - it dawned on me Friday, after work, rush hour.

Turned around and went home. My shopping list can wait.

13th year of ER - doing nothing is my favorite accomplishment.

heh heh heh heh heh

 

[Mr._johngalt]

This is for mr_johngalt:

I have a long list. First thing, I am buying a rag top and cruising to Key West (never been there) this winter. No particular schedule; no particular
return date.

JG

John, you will love Key West. We have been there probably 15 times. Might I suggest the Frances Street Bottle Inn? Great place to stay. Marybeth and Jim McCulloch are the owners. Great people. Here's the website.

http://www.bottleinn.com/

Great! Thank you.

JG

 

[Gone4Good]

In no particular order, a work in progress:

• See everything in "1,000 places to see before you die"
• Learn to scuba dive.
• Write the book "1,000 underwater places to see before you die"
• Learn Italian
• Live overseas
• Lean to play piano
• Exercise regularly
• Perfect every meal worth eating
• Drink a 100 point classic Bordeaux at its peak
• Spend more time with my parents
• Get my mother on a plane to see the castles of France
• Raft through the Grand Canyon
• Join the Peace Corp
• Drive across the U.S.
  

 

[Eagle43]

Here is what I have ALREADY DONE since retiring in 1999:

• Develop proficiency in nature and wildlife photography (film and later digital)
• Develop proficiency in wildlife video
• Learn how to edit video and produce DVDs
• Develop proficiency in Adobe Photoshop, GoLive, and InDesign
• Learn how to produce exceptional photo prints
• Travel all over North America (including Alaska, Canada & Mexico) on birdwatching and photography trips
• Go on a whale watching trip (and see a bunch of whales!)
• Significantly improve my birding skills including birding by ear
• Complete the Cornell Home Study Course on Ornithology
• Study and complete texts on Earth Science, Geology, General, Organic and Biochemistry
• Read a dadgum large number of natural history books.
• Learn butterfly identification
• Re-establish and increase my fluency in Spanish
• Publish a wildlife calendar
• Produce several nature videos/DVDs - including some for use by nature education programs
• Start and maintain a travelogue blog
• Get rid of most of my stuff and sell my house and switch to the RV fulltimer lifestyle
• Get my Class B driver's license (for heavy vehicles)
• Become an experienced RVer
• Make friends with several Texas naturalists whom I admire
• Learn basic graphic design skills and produce some posters/banners
• Learn basic web design skills
• Learn how to manage our investments - develop an investment strategy and implement/maintain it
• Learn Hatha Yoga
• Learn Pilates
• Hire a personal trainer and get in great (muscular) shape
• Take several courses in drawing

Gosh - I think I'm running out of goals?!?! (Not!!!)

The thing is, I still spend an extraordinary amount of time just goofing off! I've very "proficient" at that too - LOL!

What's really interesting to me is that NONE of the above was related to my career. And there is pretty much no way I could have done much of the above at all without being retired.

Audrey

Audrey, this is remarkable. This is the gold standard and could be used to answer that inane question: "What do you do all day?"

 

[slepyhed]

Imagine not having to get up or go to bed at any set time. You can eat, watch TV, take a walk, sleep, or just do nothing any time you want. (...) If you’re retired, this could be your lifestyle for the rest of your life unless you make other plans.

So the vast majority of Americans have made carefull "other" plans to avoid retiring?

Gee, I thought they were buying new expensive SUVs to show off!

 

[ESRBob]

Audrey,
Amazing list. Might have to borrow some of that for the next edition of Work Less Live More -- truly inspiring post.

and Old Babe -- I can recommend Mt Whitney for a great 14'er climb -- Have done if several times now in ER and I always come off the mountain feeling clearer than I went up. We're looking for one in Colorado for next summer if you know of any good ones where we can walk to the top (as opposed to ropes and gear and so forth).

 

[eric]

My goals are:

Stop doing what I don't like to do.

Start doing more of what I like to do.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Audrey, your list is impressive. Sounds like you feel it fits your temperament perfectly.

Human nature being what it is, I think a more free-flowing and less goal oriented and ambitious itinerary might be appealing to me, though one never knows. I have spent an entire career exceeding goals, achieving recognition, advancing up a fairly competitive ladder, etc. I'm kinda looking forward to being a bit less achievement-oriented. A little less "important" to so many people (I have few illusions - not really all that important since I could be replaced 100% in 3-6 months). Irrelevancy may be underrated .

I imagine I'll let it drift for a while, dabble away at this and that. Sooner or later I'll settle into a happy rhythm. Always have, after a while.

Favorite ad: Corona beer, beach, beeper goes off. Owner slowly grabs it, reads the message, reaches back, and tosses the beeper into the ocean. Takes a sip of Corona. Not my favorite beer, but I love the ad.

 

[audreyh1]

Here is what I have ALREADY DONE since retiring in 2001:

Cut-Throat - No Fair! Your list is longer than my list!

Rich - some of the things on my list were originally goals, but many of them just kind of happened - dabbling that got more serious. Actually, there is a pretty wide divergence between what I thought I would be doing before I retired, and what I ended up actually doing. I ended up doing quite a few things I never imagined before retiring that I might do [gosh is that grammatically correct?].

Cut-Throat - ironically I told my colleagues before I retired that one of my big goals was to become a really good fly-fisherman. I really enjoy fly-fishing, but I've hardly done any at all since retiring and I remain a total beginner. Why? Because nature photography just "took over".

Even when you are retired you just don't have time to do everything. Part of me hopes that in some future decade I'll have had my fill of nature photography/video and pursue some of those other things I thought I might be doing after retirement.

I'm not sure I will ever EVER get tired of traveling.

Audrey

 

[Meadbh]

Cut-Throat - No Fair! Your list is longer than my list!

Uh-oh......it's Competitive Retirement!

 

[donheff]

C-T - now that we see your travel list we know you are a closet rich guy. You secretly approve the Bush tax cuts don't you?

 

[donheff]

C-T - now that we see your travel list we know you are a closet rich guy. You secretly approve the Bush tax cuts don't you?

Hold everything -- don't answer my tongue-in-cheek query CT. I shouldn't have introduced politics outside the "Other Topics" board even in jest.

 

[REWahoo]

C-T - now that we see your travel list we know you are a closet rich guy.

C-T came out of the closet long ago about that and also about being a kept man, enjoying a life of leisure while his spouse brings home a paycheck. There are several ER's here who have confessed to being in that exalted category, including disEntropy Greg, Nords, TH/CFB and at one time, JG.

While Dory didn't include a line item for it in FIRECalc, I'm sure you can use one of the "Increase/Decrease Withdrawal" lines to compensate for the loss of income when she quits or divorces you. Right, JG?

 

[donheff]

C-T came out of the closet long ago about that and also about being a kept man, enjoying a life of leisure while his spouse brings home a paycheck.

Not that there is anything wrong with that. I am a kept man also. DW wants to keep working for a few years. She is a partner in a law firm so the livin is easy. But I still can't compete with all those trips CT makes - wow.

 

[Nords]

Favorite ad: Corona beer, beach, beeper goes off. Owner slowly grabs it, reads the message, reaches back, and tosses the beeper into the ocean. Takes a sip of Corona. Not my favorite beer, but I love the ad.

Spouse used to sleep with a beeper. That's my favorite ad too!

 

[ESRBob]

You guys have time to post here AND watch TV? What in the heck am I doing wrong? I think I'd love the commercial, though. Perfect 'take this job and shove it' moment. I can't imagine why anyone would still carry a beeper, either -- obnoxious little things.

 

[audreyh1]

You guys have time to post here AND watch TV?

I do it concurrently. Doesn't everybody? LOL!

Audrey

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I do it concurrently. Doesn't everybody? LOL!

Audrey

I thought they called this multi-tasking. I had a black belt in this
before the word was invented. Not now.

JG

 

[ESRBob]

Got it. Yes I've noticed every year that goes by I'm less able to multi-task. I used to say I was just 'focusing', now I wonder if my brain is somehow getting re-wired!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I can't imagine why anyone would still carry a beeper, either -- obnoxious little things.

You have no idea how obnoxious they can be.

The reason anyone still carries one is because they have to. If they are doing it voluntarily, they deserve it .

 

[ESRBob]

Rich,
Why don't employers replace them with phones? Is it really that much cheaper? Once you get beeped you have to phone anyway, so it just seems a redundant step. Or is it just organizational inertia? Yeah, I forgot -- physicians are probably one of the last big holdouts of beeper toters, right?

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Why don't employers replace them with phones? Is it really that much cheaper? Once you get beeped you have to phone anyway, so it just seems a redundant step. Or is it just organizational inertia? Yeah, I forgot -- physicians are probably one of the last big holdouts of beeper toters, right?

For electronics reasons I don't really understand, cell phones don't penetrate into the various caverns of a hospital. This is especially true for the basement radiology areas (shielded) and other fortified areas. Also, the cell phone transmission signals interfere with various heart monitors, etc. Beepers do go through.

I heard that they could put "repeater" antennas in the building to make the cell phones work, but cost and interference with monitoring equipment make that impractical.

So, we are stuck with beepers. It's amusing to see how they have tried to make even beepers "high tech" to keep up with the times -- you can lock messages, file them in virtual folders, set up any of 10 ring tones, zoom in and out, etc.

Of course, to turn the d%#n thing off it literally takes 5 separate "button-pushes" distributed among the six available buttons! :

 

[ESRBob]

Shows you how little I'd thought about it -- I was just assuming they worked on the same frequencies. Do I remember rightly that beeper signals get beamed off a satellite? Anyway, not long now before you can lay that burden down, too!

 

[free4now]

Most beepers operate from terrestrial antennas. Because the beeping is one way there is no need for the portable devices to transmit back to the terrestrial antennas. This means the beeper terrestrial antennas can be very high powered and located far away. Cell phones have to transmit to the terrestrial antennas, so the antennas have to be spaced nearby so that the cell phone won't use too much power transmitting. If Cell phone towers were located as far as beeper towers, cell phones would need batteries the sizes of bricks.

As a result, the beeper signals are much stronger (more radio power) than the cell signals, and that's why they penetrate better.