Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

I had no expectations, never thought it would happen to me but it did, it crept up on me, it's good.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

I suppose I’m working up to my retirement, as some may know, I quit my job last year after 30 years, the last four with a company I didn’t want to work for ( not my choice) I took a job in a nursing home as the maintenance man a lot less money but a lot less stress, I took advantage of accessing my private pension and, after spending some of it on projects, it still leaves me with some to use should I need to walk away for whatever reason, I plan to cut my hours down to 2 or 3 days a week in about 3 or 4 years, before fully retiring 2 years after that, I’ll see, we all know how life gets in the way of plans, maybe I’ll bring things forward if I feel like it, the most important thing is I’m in control of things for the first time in a very long time..

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

Slow down in retirement? I think not! Lots of fun too.

Never been busier though it has to be said that the Covid thing has slowed me down a bit I had to cancel trips to Darwin, Ayers Rock and Broken Hill and my overseas visitors have ceased because of state and international border closures.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

I've been retired 28 years, this year.

Retirement, to me, has been a progression in which you start out with big, exciting, plans and, gradually progress to ending up, hopefully, with a reasonable mind and, even more hopefully, with some self respect, fitness & dignity.

I can say that It's been good.

Enjoyed the time with the family & the time on my own.

But you need a good retirement package and people around you.

I'm, now, seeking a cost effective re-incarnation package.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

Art, you need to get past this 'invasion of privacy'. 'They' know all about you anyway!
You got a murky past you don't want to admit to


Go get the checks and get on with it girl!

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

I love retirement - such a wonderful feeling of finally being in control of my life!

Admittedly at first I felt really lost and without purpose. I've had a ton of jobs - the longest was both in the NHS and Social Services - about 30yrs. After I retired I felt out on a limb, lost and unfulfilled - so I went back as a volunteer, which sorted me out nicely!
I loved it but eventually getting stuck in rush hour traffic again felt like a return to stress and it did my 'ead in. Took away all the good feelings. So I gave up.

TBH I do still miss feeling useful. Last year I looked into volunteering again, this time at a children's hospice, but wasn't sure I could handle it emotionally.

Maybe I'll look into volunteering again in the same sort of settings, but in all honesty I really do love this 'Freedom Rocks' feeling.

For me, it's part of being in an Elite Club not an Old Farts Club.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

I took early retirement at 62 and haven't regretted it one little bit. A neighbour of ours did say to me that, after about 6months, it would suddenly hit me like I'd run into a mental brick wall that I'd no-one to teach, help with their research, or carry out my own research. She was right. One morning, a couple of months after we'd moved to Worcester, I hit that mental wall and, boy oh boy, things didn't feel great at all for a few days until I got myself sorted with new hobbies.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

That's quite some retirement Ted, perhaps it's not having to work and therefore not being stressed that has led to this longevity. Long may it continue for you!

I do know that I didn't realise how stressed I was before semi-retirement until I was no longer stressed. It was like a heavy weight being taken off me, it really was such a relief, a very nice feeling.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

Pesta, This is what happened...

When l retired, I applied to a local Multiple Sclerosis Home to help give out tea and other drinks to the patients ie. Push a tea trolley!
It also entailed being a chaperone to patients on outings to the cinema, theatres and other similar social outings.
I was given forms to fill in for the Police Check.

I had worked in Local Government for over 20years, l even signed the Official Secrets Act as l worked on drawings for Spaghetti Junction, Local by-passes and the M42, that was in construction at the time. So l was a trusted employee.

I filled in the forms to volunteer. I had to produce my passport, give my NI number, my bank account number, give two references. My references were excellent!
I was also asked to state the places l had worked at and where l had lived over the last so many years.
l had lived in five different properties, in my home area and in Lancashire.

I completed everything and took my application to the home where I was to attend a meeting with all the other volunteers who were mainly student doctors.

At this meeting, we were told we would be expected to push the patient in a wheelchair on the outings.
Light up their cigarettes and light their spliffs if they smoked cannibas.
We would be expected to help them with toileting, helping them on and off the toilet.
If they had one, change the bag on their catheter, empty it and replace it.
Change their pads.
Feed them. If they started to choke, we would have to bang them on their back to get the food up.

Not being a nurse, I was a bit surprised and concerned about all this. What would happen if l pushed the wheelchair and it tipped over?
What if l hurt them when banging them on their back?
I wasn’t happy about lighting spliffs, cannibas was illegal at the time!

A few days later, l got a phone call. A bossy lady, said, l hadn’t included the specific dates, l had moved into and left the properties l had lived in.

I said, l would get my different year’s diaries to check the dates as she stayed on the line. What a task that was!
Thumbing through pages and having absolutely no idea which month to look at, l went back to the phone and said it was ridiculous.
I had given them nearly ever detail about myself, l had given them two excellent references and now they wanted all this!
I said, ‘l am sorry but this is an excessive intrusion of my privacy just to push a tea trolley. I would like to withdraw my application’.

I felt really bad about it and even googled it. I thought l must be the only one to feel this way but there were loads of people who declined volunteering for the same reasons.

Re: Retirement – good or not so good?

Sounds like you would have needed a Spliff, after completing all those tasks Art.