Hi Cindy thank you for posting this. It is very helpful since I see retirement close at hand.
I am in the tapering off period of my job. Am one of the high paid old employees being forced out for younger cheaper models. (Bet there are many others on in this group.) I am wrestling with whether to get another job (I like people and can sell.) post vaccine or not. We have enough money so I'm just not sure.
As you can imagine, I am worrying about what to do with the time. OTOH yesterday I painted the bathroom trim, refilled our firewood supply, and helped our granddaughter string lights in the trees outside. All very enjoyable to do.
You sound like us (grin!) Always looking for something to do! But remember, you have the virus! I felt fine (except for cold symptoms) until last night when I to chills and a fever, and I was 7 to 8 days out. I slept and slept and took NyQuil and aspirin and I feel fine this morning. So watch out and don't do too much for a couple of days, ok?
I can't tell you how many people here said the same thing, us included - that they were worried about having nothing to do when they retired. I asked a lot of questions here on the forum and read a lot of posts from people who were worried about it before they retired, and wrote about it after they retired - and I can't remember anyone saying anything except how they can't believe they ever had time to work, they have so much to do now in retirement (smile!) And we found out that we feel the same way!
For us, the first year took care of "nothing to do" as we dealt with my dad and his wife and their Alzheimers and illnesses getting suddenly worse fast. Thank goodness we weren't working - the timing was so perfect! Dealing with her decline and death, his Alzheimer's and poor health and eventual placement into a nursing home, and then cleaning out their "hoarder's house" kept us very busy for over seven months. Then we put the property back together from long neglect - cutting trees, splitting wood, filling rock into eroded areas, mowing and mowing and mowing (smile!)
So really, the first "retirement period" for us has started about three months ago, when we "have nothing to do." And, of course, the pandemic has quashed any travel plans (smile!)
We both do better with a "schedule," with something to look forward to doing, so before we both got positive covid tests, we built a routine into our day. Every day, we take a sweet to my dad in his nursing home, about 20 miles away, then take a walk in a park or a neighborhood (we love looking at what people have done to their yards and getting ideas (smile!)). We volunteer one day a week at the local food bank. Hubby swims twice to three times a week. I finally have time to try all the crafts I've always wanted to. We do some work on the property almost every day, too (one of the best parts about retirement is, in most cases (except for emergencies, such as a leaky pipe) if we don't get it done today, we can do it tomorrow! We don't HAVE to get it done today because we have only today to get it done - yay!)
At the advice of so many people here, we didn't over schedule.
We are amazed and so grateful that we have time in the morning to just sit and have coffee and read the paper without having to rush (he used to leave the house at about 6AM every day (except for swimming days, then at 5:30) me at about 6:30.) And have time in the afternoon to sit outside all bundled up against the fall coolness for a couple of hours and watch the squirrels and the birds and the deer and the falling leaves, and read our books - such a luxury! And since we can't hang out with friends (except on Zoom!) we play cards or Parcheesi many afternoons (he is beating the crap out of me in both, but I will have a comeback soon (grin!))
Time to do all these things (from working on the property to reading, etc.) - to be able to make the CHOICE to do these things - is such an unbelievable luxury after a lifetime of fitting them in where we could. And make no mistake, we loved our jobs - it never felt like work (he taught high school for 51 years, I did for 41, and we both coached two seasons a year most years.) But we are cherishing every moment to CHOOSE what do to with our time (smile!)
I am looking forward to reading your posts a year from now (smile!)
