2022, Art, books, Family, Food, Games, gardening, Gatherings, home

Retiring? Who Me?

52 Comments

Photo credit:  Aaron Burden

The announcement about my retirement has finally been made (took my boss and her boss about three weeks to try to talk me out of it).

One of my co-workers, in a very serious tone said “but what are you going to do with all your time”.  She wasn’t joking (although I had assumed she was).  How could she not know me after working in the same department for 20 years together.

Without even a thought I rattled off:

    • Reading
    • Gardening
    • Cooking/Baking
    • Crafting
    • Walking the dog
    • Volunteering
    • Home improvement projects
    • Travel
    • Hang with friends

I put an app on my phone that is counting down for me.  Kinda fun.  Right now as I’m typing it’s: 1 month, 18 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes and 32 seconds.

Anything I’m missing on my list?

 

52 thoughts on “Retiring? Who Me?”

    2. I was very active at retirement then let pain and responsibilities stop me. So at 77 an old man preaches to you: keep regularly active at a decent level.

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        1. Not on bike. Blanace issues for one. Very haer on neck. Much of my PT is about balance and gait.
          Cannot trust hands around tools. they will just jerk on their own will.
          Yesterday I skipped my 45-75 minutes of PT exercises and sat through a split double header. Games were fun but today I pay the price. Just did 30 minutes of home PT. This afternoon 40 minutes at senior center fitness room.

          Liked by 1 person

  2. screwing off, handing with ya, starting your journey to find bliss, filling in the front yard, tuning and and learning to play that gorgeous piano (i’ll get you started and introduce you to the worlds best piano teacher

    Liked by 4 people

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  3. congrats vs, i’m so happy for you , the world is getting the best volunteer and human being being turned loose on the planet without that pesky j o b getting in the way .you can sit on your front porch and smile

    Liked by 4 people

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  4. I have added to my day as well as pt taking 30 minutes every morning to sit and drink coffee and contemplate. On patio right now doing so.

    Liked by 5 people

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  5. my driving and delivering mode allows me to contemplate my ass off
    the inventions and new ideas are exploding
    stared the telescoping walker project in real time yesterday with patent attorneys and china production both alerted and informed
    got a new one at the hospital yesterday that i’m very excited about

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        1. it’s so cumbersome for able bodied people to transport walkers in their current cumbersome state that folding down will be a big improvement

          Liked by 2 people

  6. Daydreaming! Oooh, and you could become a late-stage helicopter mom to YA. 😉 She’d LOVE that. 🙂

    Congrats on retiring, VS.

    Chris in Owatonna

    **BSP** I’m heading down to Lake Crystal MN (SW of Mankato on MN 60) Saturday for the inaugural Market in the Park LC as part of their Lake Days celebration. Dozens of vendors including yours truly will set up in and around Marston Park in the heart of downtown. I know it’s a bit of a drive for Twin Citians, but if you know someone in the Mankato area, tell them to come on down and experience a real small-town celebration. Oh yeah, I’ll have all my books available for purchase and will personally autograph them for you. It’s going to be a beautiful day for a party. **End BSP**

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  7. Don’t over schedule yourself. I did that for a long time because I was afraid of being bored and had a hard time saying “no”. It took the Covid lockdown to realize how over scheduled I was. I have finally struck a balance between busyness and relaxation (whatever form that may take).

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  8. “I don’t wanna work! I just wanna bang on the drum all day.”
    Or maybe play bingo at the nearest senior citizen center. Learn to play 6 cards at a time

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. It’s interesting – most folks think that travel is the top of my list. And it really isn’t. Although I love traveling and would certainly enjoy trips in the future, it’s not a priority and I’m sure that’s because I’ve been so lucky the past 30+ years to go so many absolutely fabulous places!

      Liked by 2 people

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  10. Are you sure you’re old enough to retire, VS?
    I kind of have all the Baboons I’ve met stuck in a time warp – you all seem just like you were when I first met you, but that was 10, 11 years ago now. I’m amazed when someone mentions an event I was aware of, and says it happened way back there…

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  11. Congratulations, VS!!! Most of my retired friends have done splendidly; all of them have either worked intensively on their own projects or been highly engaged with their communities, or both. Two did poorly, the ones who withdrew from regular interaction with people (although it’s a chicken-and-egg question, did they decline because they withdrew, or withdraw because they were already suffering cognitive decline?). As a Gen Xer, I just hope Social Security survives so I get to retire someday!

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    1. I’ve had a few people (who I don’t think know me as well as they think they do) worry about me. But I got a gift during pandemic (although I really didn’t think of it as a gift at the time) of getting furloughed. So I had 10 months of mentally adjusting to the possibility of never working again, while not working!. This makes a big difference in looking to the future.

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  12. Because I spent the last 25 years working on my own as a freelancer, I never officially retired and never could be certain if I was retired or not. I still occasionally take on a project for pin money but most of my previous contacts have moved on or retired themselves.

    If I know you, in addition to your regular reading and craft projects, with the additional free time you’ll find, as I do, other avenues to explore. It’s an opportunity for growth in unexpected ways.

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  13. Congratulations, VS! Add music and art festivals to that list. Festivals turn a regular weekend into a holiday. I have no doubt you’ll be able to fill your time with all kinds of projects. If you’re like me, you will suddenly find that you’re busier than you were when you were working and you’ll begin to wonder how you ever put that much time into working. Welcome to retirement! Jump in, the water’s warm!

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  14. I spent my first year sleeping. Had hip replacement surgery three years later, then began volunteering, taking riding lessons, now deeply involved with the local historical society board and local Sons of Norway lodge, plus still milking a goat, feeding horses and chickens…finally with time to enjoy all  in a timely and relaxing way.  (ps. turned 80 in January…why don’t I feel old? I just don’t….retirement helped!) Enjoy, VS…you’ll love it! CynthiainMahtowa”Life is a shifting carpet…learn to dance.”

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      1. “Ah, but I was so much older then
        I’m younger than that now.”
        Bob Dylan

        And then there’s Paul Simon’s lyrics to The Boxer

        “Now, the years are rolling by me
        They are rockin’ evenly
        I am older than I once was
        And younger than I’ll be, that’s not unusual
        Nor is it strange
        After changes upon changes
        We are more or less the same
        After changes we are more or less the same

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    3. “Old” is a state of mind. If you’re in good health, and aren’t living in poverty or constant worry, there are so many ways of keeping your mind engaged.

      I was hoping Aboksu would chime in today as his retirement occasioned, or at least coincided with, a major change in his life. How is it working out?

      Liked by 2 people

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  15. Just found this on my Facebook “memory” page:  Sitting on my deck eating breakfast and drinking cafe au lait before the sun gets too high and the bugs invade. Lovely morning, horses in the pasture, catbird mewing, roosters crowing, robins visiting, hummingbirds doing aerial gymnastics…dog quietly guarding beside me. On a Monday. This is what retirement promised and now delivers.

    Cynthia “Life is a shifting carpet…learn to dance.”

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  16. Congratulations, vs, I have no doubt whatsoever that you will be able to fill up your time with what YOU consider meaningful pursuits. I agree with Bill and Cynthia, retirement can be a time of exploring new adventures and great joy.

    When I initially retired, fifteen years ago, I found that some of my friends, and a lot of acquaintances, seemed to expect me (and other retirees) to justify or account for how I chose to spend my time. If I wasn’t doing volunteer work on a regular schedule, or attending monthly board meetings of some non-profit, somehow I was wasting my time. I didn’t buy that at all. This was a time for me to put my priorities at the top of my list.

    I say, enjoy the ride; you’ve earned it and you deserve it. Have fun.

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  17. Husband “retired” from his long time job in 2014 with his State pension, worked for the tribe and Lutheran Social Services until early 2021, and now is a double dipper working 10-15 hours a week again for the State. I doubt he will stop until I retire in November, 2024 at the age of 66 and 7 months. He is 4 years older than I am.

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  21. One thing that I don’t see on your list, vs, are the options for free or low cost tuition to a lot institutions, both locally and nationwide. The opportunities for educating yourself on whatever subject might be of interest are endless. If you do them locally, there’s the additional advantage of connecting with other seniors who share your interests.

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      1. In your case, Bill, I’d just make the assumption that there isn’t a single individual that shares all of your eclectic and disparate interests. But birds of a feather flock together, and you might just encounter another odd duck.

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