Seeking HT Wisdom - Retirement Edition

VikingsGuy said:
After decades of 60 hour weeks I am pulling the plug this winter. So, for those who have walked this path before me I welcome your insights, wisdom, suggestions, learnings, watch-outs, must-dos, anecdotes, funny stories, etc. I look forward to hearing from you all.

(If the context helps, I just turned 59, am out of shape but in general good health, have a great wife, 3 adult kids (plus 1 SIL) in various phases of "adulting", 1 grand-daughter, a solid core of buddies, zero interest in any part-time work/consulting, and way too many hobbies and interests that have sat on the shelf.)
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Might be time to book a safari and start smoking cigarettes again. Congrats!
 
3 years post retirement and I still sometimes get that impending doom feeling of having to go to the office. Less frequent now, but it still raises its ugly head.
Wife and I just completed our annual pilgrimage across the US to visit adult Kids grandkids. We have now driven through every state West of the Mississippi and a few East of it as well. Cannot agree more with the ones who have suggested staying or getting active. I suffer from a combination of too many years of "Hey kid, move that piano" as well as those years later in life that were "I love my desk job". Trying my best to chase the old man away.
Don't freak out about money, you spent your whole working life doing that. Hopefully you spent large money on the hobbies while you were working so you don't have to do that now.
Do what you want when you want. It is tempting to maintain a rigid schedule but fight that urge and learn to let it flow.
 
VikingsGuy said:
After decades of 60 hour weeks I am pulling the plug this winter. So, for those who have walked this path before me I welcome your insights, wisdom, suggestions, learnings, watch-outs, must-dos, anecdotes, funny stories, etc. I look forward to hearing from you all.

(If the context helps, I just turned 59, am out of shape but in general good health, have a great wife, 3 adult kids (plus 1 SIL) in various phases of "adulting", 1 grand-daughter, a solid core of buddies, zero interest in any part-time work/consulting, and way too many hobbies and interests that have sat on the shelf.)
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Congrats! Retired since 2012. No real earth shaking deep thoughts other than take those high altitude guided hunts now, 💩 happens and tomorrow just might be different. 🙋‍♂️ You want a 10MM? Get it. Build that custom rifle or 2 or 3 or 4. Or 5. CanAm with heater and A/C is NOT a luxury. 🤔 I did some consulting back with company which confirmed retirement was no doubt right decision! I still enjoy seeing sunrise and sunset. I think of the alternative!

The extra time to play with grandkids is PRICELESS! Enjoy EVERY second of that time it will lower BP and improve your mood!
 
I found it hard to do what I wanted at first. Those dreams costed more money than time.

After a couple months I decided I wanted a mechanism to get out of the house and be productive. I got a job driving semi trucks. I was by myself and did it at my own pace. It gave me purpose while I figured everything else out.

It’s been 5 years and it kinda took its own course. I became a critical link in their plan and not mine. I gave my notice a couple weeks ago that when I leave for out west I wasn’t coming back to work. I will keep my credentials active. They could call me if they wanted but my focus was going to be on me and family. If I choose to help it will solely be on my terms.

I did that because I don’t feel I can be home all the time without a break for myself and my wife. She doesn’t need me around 100% of the time. I applied at an excavator company as a substitute driver/operator. That way I get to play with the big toys a few times a month.

The rest like you will be filled with whatever the whims of free time throw at me.
 
As I remind folks, there's a reason they pay you to be there. It's just a job to be able to afford things you want out of life. Hopefully the job is not all you're getting out of the deal. 3 months after you leave it's like you were never even there.

Maybe I'm just different, but I've never felt purpose from a job, other than providing for the family. I'll be able to comfortably provide in retirement, so it met it's purpose. I've got way too many things to do outside of work to ever consider missing it or my coworkers. Fine people to work with, but I won't miss them.

I only work about 23 weeks/yr now, so I guess I've had a lot of practice not being at a job. I don't have near enough time now for the things I want to do. In 4yrs I'll retire at 58. I expect retirement to be busy, but without the job interfering.
 
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I wasn't ready to retire at 35. After getting wounded in Iraq the Army medical retired me after 15 years. I had no plan or idea it was coming. I had been successfully fighting my medical boards and I thought I could get the last 5 years, but no. When the VA took over, they deemed me non employable. So, I can't work, and it's probably a good thing because if some 20 year old kid told me what to do I'd probably stab him in the throat. I was lost. No job, no purpose, in the middle of a nasty breakup with my son's mother. I took a year of doing nothing and just decompressing and healing up. I learned how to fly fish and that ended up consuming a lot of time. I was in Colorado, so I became obsessed with archery hunting antelope. My hunting passion was reignited now that I had mule deer and elk and antelope and I could sit all day blasting prairie dogs. Once my income levelled out with the VA, SSD, and CRSC, I figured out a budget that gives me the ability to travel, hunt, pay a mortgage and truck payment, and still put a bit into savings. I was a volunteer fireman and EMT for a while and that gave me some purpose, but after my second unresponsive infant from the meth apartments I couldn't do it anymore, so I resigned. I tried to volunteer at the nursing home, but they treat you like shit and like you're stupid, so that didn't last. So, now I'm doing some renovations on my house, shooting my bow and rifles, and travelling back East as much as possible and riding my harley. Hunting and fly fishing have been a godsent, because when life stresses me out, I have an outlet to clear my mind. My youngest is 18 now, so I don't have to deal with his mother to be able to see him, so I spend as much time as possible with him. We go to lunch on Fridays and Breakfast on Sundays and do other stuff during the week around his school and work schedules. My biggest piece of advice is to have a plan and hobbies and to be ready to feel like you lost your purpose in life with a bit of depression. Retirement is doable as long as you have a plan, some hobbies, and the income. You worked your whole life for this and sacrificed birthdays and anniversaries and your kids growing up. Now it's time to look out for you and live your life.
 
JohnCushman said:
I wasn't ready to retire at 35. After getting wounded in Iraq the Army medical retired me after 15 years. I had no plan or idea it was coming. I had been successfully fighting my medical boards and I thought I could get the last 5 years, but no. When the VA took over, they deemed me non employable. So, I can't work, and it's probably a good thing because if some 20 year old kid told me what to do I'd probably stab him in the throat. I was lost. No job, no purpose, in the middle of a nasty breakup with my son's mother. I took a year of doing nothing and just decompressing and healing up. I learned how to fly fish and that ended up consuming a lot of time. I was in Colorado, so I became obsessed with archery hunting antelope. My hunting passion was reignited now that I had mule deer and elk and antelope and I could sit all day blasting prairie dogs. Once my income levelled out with the VA, SSD, and CRSC, I figured out a budget that gives me the ability to travel, hunt, pay a mortgage and truck payment, and still put a bit into savings. I was a volunteer fireman and EMT for a while and that gave me some purpose, but after my second unresponsive infant from the meth apartments I couldn't do it anymore, so I resigned. I tried to volunteer at the nursing home, but they treat you like shit and like you're stupid, so that didn't last. So, now I'm doing some renovations on my house, shooting my bow and rifles, and travelling back East as much as possible and riding my harley. Hunting and fly fishing have been a godsent, because when life stresses me out, I have an outlet to clear my mind. My youngest is 18 now, so I don't have to deal with his mother to be able to see him, so I spend as much time as possible with him. We go to lunch on Fridays and Breakfast on Sundays and do other stuff during the week around his school and work schedules. My biggest piece of advice is to have a plan and hobbies and to be ready to feel like you lost your purpose in life with a bit of depression. Retirement is doable as long as you have a plan, some hobbies, and the income. You worked your whole life for this and sacrificed birthdays and anniversaries and your kids growing up. Now it's time to look out for you and live your life.
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Your a good man JohnCushman.
 
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