Retirement

TheKunkels wrote:
...........we want to camp till the Lord calls us home.

Yep. Cheers. :)

barbandwayne wrote:
When you retired, did you have a plan as far as what you were going to do with all that free time. DH is retiring this spring and he's dreading not having something to do everyday. I can make a big list, but he's not interested in that!

Make a small list and don't add any pressure. If he's bored he will get to it. If he's not bored he's a candidate for permanent retirement and he'll find lots to do!!
I haven't run out of things to do yet and it's been almost 14 years.. don't know what I will do tomorrow... but something will pop up!! :) It's only 8:30 PM now and in 12 hours I will start with my morning 1/2 hour walk (doctor's orders!) and go from there.

I had to quit back in 2002 when I had a heart attack. Two months later they found a tumor next to my lung ( not attached to it ) but I got total disability cause the judge found I couldn't do gainful employment. When turned 66 it turned to SS retirement.
Before we get too old (66 & 67 now)we want to camp till the Lord calls us home.
God Bless †

I had a plan and I strongly recommend having one. Mine wasn't cast in stone but it gave me some goals. Over the past five years it has changed considerably but I have not missed working even one day. Rarely seem to get bored.

barbandwayne wrote:
.................. I can make a big list, but he's not interested in that!

Cute. In 2 years I may retire, and my DW is building up her lists. She won't let me do any of the things until I retire. She wants to make sure I stay busy.........and not just sit around. :)

We call it semi retirement. 6 months traveling. 6 months at the S&B doing something almost every day mon-sun.

Typical day today. A few hours which involved a chainsaw, a hedge cutter & a trimmer then an hour playing mechanic. Every evening a few hours planning the where to go for the other 6 months.

This winters to do list is down to 2 major jobs left. Paint house roof & remove diesel engine from boat.

There is always something to do. Even the trailer gets a week in a boatyard for the annual refurb before heading out. That is when the retirement part starts.

I think retirees need to have a purpose such as travel, volunteering, hobbies, taking up sports, hiking, golf, card groups, taking classes to learn a new craft or just take classes in anything. There is so much out there to keep you busy. If you're bored it's your own fault. Retirement should be a fun, carefree time in your life.

You need to get away from the house and meet and talk to people and develop new friendships.

If you stay at home and all you do are 'chores' you will go stagnant and health issues will arise. Active people in both body and mind are healthy people.

What free time? I've been retired for going on six years. I still can't figure out how I had time to work. Seems like something needs fixing every day. Guess I either ignored stuff that needed fixing or paid someone else to fix it when I was working. Having the time to analyze and plan has allowed me to tackle some complicated projects that I never would have attempted previously.

We had a plan that included enjoying our mutual interests developed over the decades of marriage. We hike, ATV, Jeep, work in the yard, read and spend almost six months a year in the MH.

We eat healthy and keep a regular sleeping schedule. That was sometimes impossible when working. I actually feel better that I did before I retired.

My dad was forced to retire early due to health problems. Work was his life. He had a few outside interests but not many he could continue. After he retired, he sat down in his chair and waited to die. He was always immaculately groomed. He let himself go, wearing the same clothes day after day. When he didn't die after a couple years he started volunteering and did several terms on the grand jury.

Ive had a plan for at least 10 years. Unfornutately some of it got passed over when we were forced out 3 years premature. We still spend at least 2 to 3 months each year volunteering for the state park system. If you like camping, start volunteering. We have made meals for the homeless too. So there are lots of opportunities besides sitting in the barkmo lounger and watching judge judy.

I quit work because I didn't have time to do everything I wanted too. Work was taking up too much time.