Dreadful Sunday night. How many more?

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodi My mom retired early by many folks standards - at 62. She was dx'd with ovarian just over a year later, and died 5 years after that after multiple rounds of chemo. My dad and she had to plan their travel around the chemo treatment and her immune system post treatment. (They did get 2 more major trips in... but they wanted more). Quality of life in her retirement was pretty awful. My dad was able to get 14 years of retirement before he got his cancer dx. He had tickets for a round the world trip with my step mom for 2 weeks after his death. Complications from his cancer treatment. This was a huge motivator to retire early for me... get some retirement enjoyment in while I'm healthy. I didn't have as much padding in my retirement nest egg as a lot of folks here - but time > money. In 1 week from today I will have been retired 2 years. No regrets

Same here. Mom dx'd with pancreatic cancer at 62, less than a year before Dad's planned retirement at 65. He spent the first 6 months of his retirement caring for her, and then she passed and he was on his own.

It was a huge incentive for me to ER.

Now I'm 56 and wondering a bit as I approach the age where Mom got her death sentence. All I can do is make the most of it.

[btdt22]

The only day we need to keep aware of is Wednesday because that is garbage day. We also might track a Friday because that is Prime rib night. If it's getting time for a box store or home improvement trip we will try to avoid a weekend because of the longer lines. Life is good

[Another Reader]

I don't need to remember garbage day, because I watch for my neighbors' cans to appear at the curb...

[gerntz]

About the worst. I'd go back to work if it prevented the Orlando event.

[Free bird]

Is it a contest to see who can do nothing the best? Doing something I didn't like made doing something I did like even better. Attitude is everything.

[Sarah in SC]

After all these already retired folks chimed in to make you feel worse, lol, I'll pop up with a comment on shared misery. Yes, Sunday nights are awful, and the dread seems to rise up earlier and earlier with each passing month.

Mondays are when the time stretches infinitely into the future, and even Friday seems very far away. Let's hope we live long enough to enjoy more than a few Mondays like the rest of the gang.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat I have a colleague that wanted to "optimized" his pension and intended to work another year. He passed away during the Christmas break.

Had a colleague with the same plan and outcome. Died at 64 after a four month retirement, most of it spent in a hospital.

Carpe diem.

[karen1972]

Sometimes its a double edged sword, my father (81 in 3 weeks) is still working, but plans to retire this year and he's predicting his demise.. as he said, every friend he's had seems to die shortly after retiring. I think this may be true but for a different reason that just it was their time. Work gives lots of people purpose in life, fills, a reason to get up in the morning, motivation targeting a goal to retire, and social interaction plus routine exercise if nothing else just getting out and about. When one retires, sometimes people are not prepared for it, thus feel isolated from society and thus lack meaning/purpose any longer which in itself I believe can shorten their life greatly. Also if they stop doing any exercise, don't leave the home much, etc.. their physical condition can deteriate quickly.

Basically the moral of the story is plan for your retirement and if you want to live a long life, you need to ensure you keep physically, mentally, and emotionally active...else saving all that money is useless.

[jazz4cash]

I am approaching 52 non dreadful Sunday evenings. The year has flown by! The knot in my stomach on Sunday eve was a compelling motivation for me to punch out. Since then it seems that I have been to many funeral services or learned of someone with serious health issue.


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[truenorth418]

Now that I'm retired I look forward to Sunday nights. I know the next day will be quiet in my neighborhood, the grocery store will be virtually empty, and I'll have the gym pretty much all to myself. 😀


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[Options]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko Had a colleague with the same plan and outcome. Died at 64 after a four month retirement, most of it spent in a hospital. Carpe diem.

This.

Once you hit 60, it’s time to take ‘carpe diem’ seriously | Financial Post

Quote:

While everyone knows we are living a lot longer than we did half a century ago, we are not living much healthier.

Quote:

out of 100 healthy 60-year-old men, 36 will either suffer a critical illness or die before they turn 70. After age 70, the incidence of disease or death climbs exponentially. The numbers are better for women, but ultimately no one is unscathed.

emphasis added

There's another laughable discussion on the BH forum regarding Jane Bryant Quinn's latest "noise" about planning on "celebrating your 101st birthday" (along with the usual stale advice implied to "save more" and "work longer"accordingly). However, according to reality (as in statistics), the chances of living to that age in any sort good mental and physical health are almost nil. In that case, you'll neither know nor care if you're eating cat food.

Seize the day, especially once you turn 60.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Options Once you hit 60, it’s time to take ‘carpe diem’ seriously | Financial Post

Talk about a downer...

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Talk about a downer...

Hey, looks like if I make it to 70, I'm home free from 70 to 80!

[Options]

Yes, I suppose it could be construed as a downer--as the old saying goes: reality bites.

OTOH, knowing reality (and facing it head on) helps you prepare for it (pretending you'll "celebrate your 101st birthday" in the same mental, emotional, and physical state of health as in earlier decades does not, IMO).

Tomorrow's success starts with today's decisions (note the recommendations regarding health). Of course, this could be extrapolated to all of life.

[imoldernu]

1392 Quiet Sundays

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff2Eat So many people keep stretching their work life probably out of necessity but for me the earlier the better. This forum allow me to dream of ER. And dream is free. :-) Dreadful Sunday night. How many more? enuff

Are there things you have more control over than investment returns that you could do to either speed up retirement, get a new job or make working less stressful? Change careers? Downshift? Change jobs? Start a side business? Get a masters degree? Lower expenses? Certifications?

[brett]

I was fortunate. I loved my job until the last two years. Long work days, good colleagues, interesting customers.

But I was happy to retire early. Last week we jumped in the car and drove through the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver for a week. Next week we may go into the Okanogan for a few days. In August we tour Gaspe and the Maritimes. Sept/Oct we plan on being in Greece.

So while work was fine, retirement was even better. Plus, tomorrow I may drop dead or get hit by a bus. Better enjoy the time and our resources while we have the health and desire to do so. I do not want to end up being the richest person in the retirement home. No cheese in that scenario.

[GravitySucks]

Always loved Sunday evenings. Fox's cartoon line up followed by Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. Stay up late and stretch out the weekend with a couple beers.
Now that I'm retired I get worked up if I screw up and have to do a grocery store run on a Sunday.
All perspective I guess.

[TimSF]

151 non-awful Sundays, and counting.

[Options]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daylatedollarshort Are there things you have more control over than investment returns that you could do to either speed up retirement, get a new job or make working less stressful? Change careers? Downshift? Change jobs? Start a side business? Get a masters degree? Lower expenses? Certifications?

All of these things. To which I might add, work with people you like as much as is possible. When I reflect back on the last few years before I retired, it was the people I worked with and for that made it bearable. Although I'd lost all interest in and respect for my field, and suffocated under the organization's bureaucracy, I really liked the people I worked with and very much liked helping my clients. I got a call last week from a former co-worker I'd not spoken with since retirement, and it was just fantastic to talk to her again.

Even though I'm retired, I'm not against working (although retirement has very much spoiled me!). Its merits can include a sense of accomplishment, productivity, and enjoying the people around you.