Downside of retirement

[kcowan]

Aren't alcohol taxes much higher in most Canadian provinces?

SIN taxes apply to all liquor and tobacco products. e.g.

SMIRNOFF - RED LABEL PET $10.97 versus $17.01 US in BC

 

[Mdlerth]

C'est la vie.


la vie.

+1

My favorite part of this forum is the humor.

 

[joesxm3]

Sorry for taking so long to post on this thread. I guess I am too busy being retired to keep up on the latest forum postings that fall out of the recent threads list.

I have been having lunch with my co-workers longer than I expected and they all seem worried that I will not have anything to do.

I thought I might be getting bored one or two days and when I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that being retired and bored at home was much better than being bored at w*rk. It is much easier to take a nap at home when bored than at work.

 

[imoldernu]

As we enter our 28th year of being voluntarily unemployed, reflecting on any "downside" would be counterproductive.
The singular overriding factor to any possible negativity is, for me... Freedom. Not that retirement is without care or responsibility, but that freedom is the ultimate nirvana.

On some forums, my adopted sobriquet is Thomas Young... which describes an ascribed personal goal personified by his life and reputation.

Freedom... to love life, to squeeze out the most happiness, to feel fulfillment of the earthly pleasure, but, in the later years, to have the time to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. For satisfaction, not achievement. To be able to take the time to follow up on personal interests, physical and mental, but especially to learn... to "know".

Whether science, politics, religion, art, music, or any of the "liberal arts"... to have the time, resources, and "freedom" to follow and enjoy the journey.

This has become easier and more satisfying with the advancing years

 

[OddGuy]

While I enjoy my part-time gig much more, I had a flashback today to the Bad Side of Work. "Protocol." I loathe it so.

Through retirement, I had forgotten all about the notion of special chairs which only certain people can use.

Amethyst

I've been self-employed for the past 5 years, and I started by career in self-employment, before a detour in the middle of 18 years of salaried work for two companies. You remind me that while self-employment doesn't beat ER, it sure beats salaried work.

My industry, television/video, doesn't function like most white collar environments. The workstations/equipment you're working on is too valuable to lay unused, so you find your "space" being used by others on a second shift, or the entire time you're away on vacation, etc.

I think that's healthy, because it keeps you from being attached to something that isn't yours, never was, and never will be.

At my second big salaried job, I was in an upper middle management role (obviously a top-heavy organization, if you can apply a term like "upper middle management".) It was here that I had actual offices, but the organization was under such flux I changed offices about once every 18 months.

When anyone would praise or critique my space, I would correct them. "You gave up a window?" "It wasn't 'my' window, it was just in the room this business is leasing." "I like your chair!" "It's not 'my' chair, it's just the one temporarily provided to me."

Yeah, you can see I'm not a "company man".

 

[GalaxyBoy]

...I had forgotten all about the notion of special chairs which only certain people can use.

Reminds me of when I worked TDY in electric utility offices, anywhere from a few months to a year at a time. Those folks were as close to working for the government as one could get in private industry. (Little wonder that Dilbert was originally based on Scott Adams' time at the phone company.)

Our team arrived at the office and our client manager told us to grab any available cubes. One of our guys landed in a chair with arms and a high back. Every "captive" employee who walked by gave him a dirty look. That afternoon he mentioned it, and the light bulb went off for our client manager, who told him to go find a low-back chair without arms. Turns out they had low-back, high-back, armless, and "armed" chairs in various combinations of those options, and as they were promoted through the ranks they earned better chairs. We just about rolled in the aisles laughing at all this!

While I don't have much "protocol" in my current workplace, it's certainly there and raises its silly head at times. Can't wait to shed that nonsense!

 

[ugeauxgirl]

I kept seeing articles about how retirement "wasn't that great" and then I saw this one-

The secret to a happier, healthier life: Just retire - MarketWatch

I am interested in happiness and read a lot about it (my husband thinks this is hilarious for some reason- I have always been a happy person). One of the most interesting things about this article to me is that many life events cause a temporary surge in happiness (marriage, new house, new job etc.) EXCEPT for retirement. This study was 4 years long I think and the increase in happiness went AT LEAST for the length of the study- which is much longer than any other life event- including winning the lottery. Planning on testing this theory myself here shortly...

 

[Taxman59]

I probably shouldn't be writing this right now, but retirement has not bee the most healthy period of my life! Since I retired, I have had 2 carpal tunnel surgeries as well as a total knee replacement and am looking at another new knee in the next year or two. My DW has had a broken ankle with a surgical implant, and has had mental health issues boil over. We have spent more on healthcare in the past 18 months than in the past ten years.
Keeping the above in mind, I am still glad I retired, and I think the health issues are ones I put off while w*rking. If I had stayed, I would have been having the same surgeries, and been forced to go back to the office before I was fully recovered. I wouldn't have been able to care for DW while she was recovering. My mental health is improving the further from the office I get. All in all, I'm not looking back.

 

[FreeBear]

I thought I might be getting bored one or two days and when I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that being retired and bored at home was much better than being bored at w*rk. It is much easier to take a nap at home when bored than at work.

THAT made my day!

Oh, reading ER forum in the comfort of home is much better than squinting at the ER ap on my phone while some goofball drones and PowerPoints on...

 

[FreeBear]

Freedom... to love life, to squeeze out the most happiness, to feel fulfillment of the earthly pleasure, but, in the later years, to have the time to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge. For satisfaction, not achievement. To be able to take the time to follow up on personal interests, physical and mental, but especially to learn... to "know".

Whether science, politics, religion, art, music, or any of the "liberal arts"... to have the time, resources, and "freedom" to follow and enjoy the journey.

This has become easier and more satisfying with the advancing years

+1

Wow thats beautiful Imoldernu! I'm only 2 year in and am just settling in.

As for any downsides, screw that, I'm not going back!!!

Just like university and my career, I'm committed to make this all succeed. I want to be the best retiree I can be, whatever that means for me at the time as I make it all up as I go along.