Retirement

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Yes, retirement is wonderful!

I was in the wrong job, I was miserable and couldn’t seem to find another.  I was lucky.  I was 65 and so I decided to semi-retire.  What that means is, take a year off to rest and relax, and then go back to work for the next year.  The coffers are not as full as they need to be, long-term.  After a year back at work, we’ll see.  

When retirement starts, there is a honeymoon period which for me lasted about 2 weeks.  “I don’t have to get up to an alarm anymore!  I can stay up as late as I want!  I can sleep all day!  I have so much free time!  I’ll get to do all the things that I’ve always wanted to!  I can have a night out whenever i want, get a little drunk and sleep off my hangover!  I can wear pajamas all day!  I can watch daytime TV!  I can go to the movies when they are not crowded!  I can know about the news as it happens!”

Retirement is wonderful but life is not perfect.  Normal life continues.  You still have to floss your teeth and take out the trash.  And, unless you are very rich, you have to deal with Social Security and Medicare.  I am happy to say that I’ve had relatively few problems with them.

Sleep is wonderful, though.  It’s just so nice to catch up once and for all.  Sleeping late or taking naps, it all contributes to a sense of being rested and ready for life.

Another thing that happens is that you take life more slowly.  You actually stop and look at things that you haven’t really looked at in months or even years.  Like your medicine cabinet.  Features on computer applications (like Facebook, Instagram, etc) you never had time to examine.  The glove compartment in your car.

Socializing, though, has one drawback – depending on their situation, many or most of your friends may still be working.  So you do wind up doing some things on your own.

You can go to doctor appointments in the middle of the day.  You start arranging your errands (because you can) between 9 am and 2pm to avoid rush hour traffic and after-school traffic.

If you’re a procrastinator like me, some things you intended to do when you thought “retirement” keep getting put off.  Like emptying your boxes from storage.  Cleaning out your drawer full of financial papers and related stuff.

One thing I didn’t do a lot of while I was working was watch TV.  Now I know daytime has all kinds of shows I missed over the years.  Golden Girls, King of Queens, Bewitched (ok, i’ve seen the reruns many times), Parks and Recreation and The Match Game, which is my favorite because it was made in the 1970’s and is downright campy, with all those 70’s hairstyles and clothes.

So yes, retirement is wonderful, with a few drawbacks, and I hope yours gets here before you know it!

Please comment on and share this blog address!  Thank you.


Comments

  1. NancyMarch 5, 2018 at 2:00 PM

    Loved this entry! Keep going.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jeff WelchDecember 11, 2018 at 3:14 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeff WelchDecember 11, 2018 at 3:16 PM

      Hey Rich, I just found your blog! Good for you, just letting those rambling thoughts ooze out of your brain sorta like that plant I overwatered last week, which created a huge wet spot on the floor! But it made me get the mop out and start to do some cleaning, which I always put off, and I found a book that had fallen under the sofa, a book I was convinced I’d left behind on a recent trip! Now I can finish it and move on to that pile of books on my bedside table, and I can check off a few of the “want to read” books on my Goodreads list, and I won’t feel so absent-minded about always forgetting something when I travel - my bluetooth earpods, phone charger, shampoo - which I often do, but maybe the next time I do it will spur a cleaning spree and improve my life! So thanks for leaking all over my floor, Rich, it’s so helpful!! Oh, and I turn 65 next year so keep writing about retirement!! Kisses!!

      Delete

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