What's the best thing about being retired?

[captain queeg]

For me it’s sleep. If I have an occasional bout of insomnia nowadays (like tonight) it’s no big deal , I can always take a nap later, or just sleep in once I do get to sleep. When I was working full time I’d stress when I couldn’t sleep. I’d e looking at the alarm clock, thinking if I get to sleep now I’ll still be able to sleep X hours. Then a half hour later I’d think I could stil get Y hours if I get to sleep now, and on and on. As time ticked by I’d get more stressed. Really sucked.

[Tomconroy]

1. Stress level lowered to just about zero.

[Meadowoak]

4. +1

[Doc Sportello]

2. Don't have to set a friggin alarm clock every night

Wake up when I wake up.

Like you I sometimes have insomnia but tonight I can't seem to be able to go back to sleep, which is rare. You're right, though. I'll just catch up later or go back to sleep after I get off of the internet.

[mitch96]

29. "Wake up when I wake up. " this was a revelation the second day of retirement... nt

[rso]

3. Retired

Agree 100% as I presently experience both work and retirement and can compare the two in real time. I work about 3 months per year and spend the rest of the year retired. But I must say that since my 3 months of work always take me abroad to different locations, I am very happy about my work-retirement balance.

[Lonestarblue]

9. What a wonderful opportunity. I'd love to spend a couple months in other countries every year.

[Delphinus]

18. Me too!

I think that would be a great way to experience retirement!

[rso]

25. RSO

I am a retired foreign service officer, and the State Dept. offers those retirees who are interested opportunities to fill temporary gaps at US Embassies.

[claudette]

5. Not having

to go to work. No heavy responsibility

[calguy]

6. Pretty much everything

[catbyte]

7. No alarm clock.

My mom used to joke that I was born at 6:30 a.m. and was the earliest I ever willingly woke up. Miss you, Mom.

[Major Nikon]

8. Every day is Saturday

[SouthernDem4ever]

10. My stress is watching for signs my state will go complete Gilead

It's continual.

[ariadne0614]

11. The time I have left in this incarnation belongs to me.

It’s luxurious to relax and allow my inner rhythm to unfold as it will. The usual “mundane” daily chores still provide a grounded framework, but now, liberated from the pressure of the clock, they have become almost sacred rituals. Don’t even get me started on the many-splendid wonders of meal preparation!

[Trueblue Texan]

12. The freedom to sleep as I need to is great...

...as is the freedom to have an unrestricted schedule to explore whatever interest I want.

But the absolute best part for me is not having to put up with anyone's bullshit anymore or listen to their ignorance about politics and/or COVID--not being subjected to their Fox News or other right wing media addictions.

I retired at the end of May this year and hardly a day goes by when I don't have an absolute rampage of joyful gratitude that I am free at last. Until I retired, I had no idea just how stressful my job was. I thought my job was relatively...doable... just didn't realize the level of stress until I didn't have it anymore. I feel like a huge weight has been taken off my chest--I had no idea I was carrying such a load!

Sometimes I really have to grapple with the notion that I never have to go back to work again, that no one expects me to go back to work again, that no one thinks less of me for being retired, and that even if I don't bring home a paycheck anymore, I still make valuable contributions with my time and energy. This whole freedom thing is new to me all around, but I'm LOVING it!

[llmart]

14. I like your last paragraph.

It speaks to how we are judged by others if we a.) don't work b.) if we make an acceptable amount of money c.) what we do for a living. Personally I feel like not having to be confronted with all the different judgments is where the freedom comes in. At most jobs, your supervisor is judging how worthy you are compared to your peers. Are you worth a raise? Your coworkers are judging each other and you. You're judged by how you dress. How you act. What you look like. What job you're doing. It's insidious and you don't even know it's happening sometimes. It's why it feels so good when you come home from work.

I've always been a morning person, but not in the sense of I jump out of bed and shower, dress, eat breakfast, grab a coffee, etc. I like to ease into my day on my terms and my schedule. So I still get up early but I can sit on the couch and catch the news while enjoying my coffee. I don't have to fret about what to wear to work. I am female and always worked in an office and there was much more pressure on women on how they dressed than men. I walk every day at a park near my house and depending on the weather and season and day of the week, I can go for my walk whenever I feel like it. In summer I like to go early to enjoy the quiet and birdsong. Couldn't do that when I worked.

[2naSalit]

15. +1

[rambler_american]

13. CBD

lets me sleep soundly all night long. Highly recommend it.

[2naSalit]

16. I love not having to go to work...

But sleeping when I feel like it is blissful. I also love not having to be nice to assholes or lose my job and having an open schedule to do what I choose. And I don't have to worry about how much I make each week.

[Midnight Writer]

34. That sums it up for me, too.

[2naSalit]

35. I always thought...

That I would never live long enough to see the day I could live like this.

[hot2na]

17. Retirement reveals the importance of sleep

I retired two years ago and I used to dread waking up but now I’m up promptly at from 6:15 to 6:45, to walk the dog and then make my morning coffee then enjoy it on the couch looking out the window while getting caught up on the DU goings on. I’m in bed by 9:30-10:00, but not to fear if I miss my schedule, there’s always nappy-poo to even things out.

Retirement is fantastic for me.

[3catwoman3]

52. You might enjoy this acronym a friend taught us.

SCAN - Senior Citizen Afternoon Nap -

[twodogsbarking]

19. No coworkers. No boss.

That's two. Impeach me.

[3Hotdogs]

20. Less stress. With employment, there is always the threat of loss of income.

I have a defined benefit pension with the state.

For the 'Utes who read this, defined benefit means you get the money as long as you live. There used to be a lot of those types of pensions but corporations figured out that it would be cheaper to feed yiz with 401K's.

[rso]

26. RSO

Yep, same here, defined benefit pension with the Federal Govt..

[rso]

27. RSO

Yep, same here, defined benefit pension with the Federal Govt..

[Emile]

21. No longer being a wage slave!

[sanatanadharma]

22. Retired in 2012, Moved out of USA in 2018

After a lifetime of nail biting, my stress level is clearly down as shown by my now long finger nails.
However, it was not retirement that made the difference; my stressed stopped when I left the USA.

[Native]

38. Where did you go?

[sanatanadharma]

39. Montevideo, Uruguay

Last edited Wed Aug 2, 2023, 07:54 AM - Edit history (1)

A place without snow and ice
A place where my partner knows the language
A place where people won't try to kill us
A place that will grant permanent residency
A place where one can work legally
A place where there is always room for one more English teacher
A place that does not require proof of great wealth
A place that is first world
A place with legal cannabis
A place where I do not need a car

[Native]

40. Sounds wonderful. I've got dual citizenship with Ireland, so the EU is up for grabs with us,

but I just can't decide. We are in Florida, and we want to be in a place that's conducive to sailing, but we just have no idea where we to go.

[BMW2020RT]

23. The stress of work upset my digestive system.

Sleep was nearly impossible during episodes that became more frequent after I passed 50.

Regular, face to face interaction with disappointed customers was the culprit. I took part-time employment after a year off. My conditions of employment were a position that does not require constant contact with the public and is limited to 15-20 hours a week. If I feel up to more hours and want extra retirement income I am free to work more. They are pleased with my production in return. For now, this is an arrangement I can happily live with.

[Ptah]

24. I enjoy the changes in time management.

Working:


--------------------
First year of retirement:


--------------------
Fifth year of retirement:


--------------------
Beyond five years:

[2naSalit]

36. Those are great!!

[Ptah]

37. Somewhere between the second and third, the soundtrack changes.

[twodogsbarking]

28. Ninety percent of the employees where I worked hated Prestident Obama

and loved Trump. Need I go on?

[Emile]

32. Sounds like where I use to work

[Different Drummer]

50. The same with me.

[Emile]

44. I remember the day after the election when Obama won. I

walked into the dispatcher office to a room full of right wing truck drivers sucking up to our transportation manager. They all knew I was the only Democrat in the room. The transportation manager says, I suppose you are happy today. I laughed and said, the MAJORITY of AMERICA is happy today. Grabbed my paperwork and left for Michigan with a smile 😊.

[XanaDUer2]

30. Waking up when I feel like it

Woke up last night. Knew it didn't matter

[usonian]

31. This.

Upside: Social Security was a pay raise compared to being too old to work in Silicon Valley.
Downside: I miss the free air conditioning at work.
Downside: At work, I got paid to sleep. No more once retired.
Unchanged: Usonian is my name. Parody is my game.

[highplainsdem]

42. Love that calendar page!

[usonian]

48. Thanks. I wear a cheap Casio watch not only for the time

but mainly because it tells me what day of the week it is
FOR OTHER PEOPLE

and for senior and veteran's discount days.

When life deals you lemons, make limoncello!

Cheers

[Different Drummer]

51. "When life deals you lemons, make limoncello!"

I like the way you think!

[Ocelot II]

33. I think that's it. And not having to commute.

I retired in the winter of 2011-12. The Monday after my last day at work it snowed. And I woke up, looked out the window, and realized that I would never again have to shovel out my driveway, get in a cold car and drive to work on icy, crowded roads. And so I went back to bed. It was glorious.

[DFW]

41. Retired? What's that?

I keep hearing about it. I guess some day, when I have time, I should look into it.

But I'm only 71. It's not imminent.

[BlackSkimmer]

46. My mother was the same.

She was a "housewife" while my sister and I were in school.

The minute my sister was out of the house, mom went back to work. I can't remember how old she was when she finally stopped working, but she was way over 70. She worked as an accountant for a German company with an office here in the south, and she loved her job.

I think my dad finally persuaded her to retire, but I don't think she was really too enthused about it lol.

[Major Nikon]

47. I retired in my 50's

In reality I just retired from full time employment. I still take jobs, but only the ones I want as I'm contracting out my services. So I stay exactly as busy as I want while still having all the time in the world to do whatever. It's the best of everything as far as I'm concerned.

[DFW]

53. The thing that terrifies me most is boredom

I'm in a different country every day when I'm at work, but I take time off when I can and want. I have as much (or as little) vacation as I want (RHIP). Sometimes, it gets tedious, but it's never boring, and I love the travel. I wish I could take my wife with me more, but she hates day trips (long weekends in Barcelona, Portugal, Switzerland or Scandinavia are another story). Besides, although she is retired, she now has less free time than she did when she was working full time. That's what I get for marrying a social worker.

[Ocelot II]

57. I'm never bored; I'm finally getting to do some things I never used to have time for.

I'm pretty busy most of the time, at least when I want to be.

[highplainsdem]

43. Options.

[LuckyCharms]

45. Cutting yourself a nice piece of chocolate cake and eating it at 830 AM while

standing at your kitchen sink in your underwear and looking out your window that is over the sink admiring the beauty of nature in your backyard and thinking to yourself "Huh, look at that pretty squirrel", instead of some asshole boss running into your office with his hair on fire saying "I NEED THOSE PROJECTIONS DONE BY NOON! ARE THEY DONE? WHEN WILL YOU HAVE THEM DONE"???

It's either that, or being able to fart at will, anytime, anywhere, without caring what others think.

[Ocelot II]

56. All these things.

And more: Getting stuck in some Netflix series and watching it most of the night, knowing you can sleep as late as you want the next day. Driving past your old workplace and laughing. Gleefully turning down an offer to come back and work as a contract employee. Lying in bed in the morning trying to remember what day of the week it is, and whether you have any chocolate cake for breakfast.

[Different Drummer]

49. My time is my own.

I can do whatever I want, not what they want me to do.

[Yavin4]

54. I don't have to do stupid work for stupid people.

I'm only semi-retired. I'm re-training for a new career. In my new training, I've learned how I could have done my job 10000x times better and easier, but when you work for stupid people, you wind up doing stupid work.

[Skittles]

55. nearing retirement - I feel like I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel

honestly, I'm thinking the biggest perk will be not having to sort through HUNDREDS of emails daily.....no matter how many RULES I make they just KEEP COMING