Changes

[nineoaks]

Dear Forum Friends:

Just wanted to mention that my profile now includes the word retired! My plans: to see what my home is like in the daylight on a weekday! Perhaps I'll be able to join the forum conversation more often now.

cheers,

nineoaks

[anonsi]

Congratulations!! Did I mention I'm jealous?

[ilandrah]

Hello Nineoaks. Congrats on your retirement!

[nineoaks]

Dear Anonsi:

Congratulations!! Did I mention I'm jealous?

I said this very same thing to a neighbor when she retired. Her reply stayed with me: 'Don't worry. It will come to you, too.'

Thanks to you and Ilondrah for your kind wishes.

nineoaks

[birdy]

Congratulations from an old hand at retirement.  If you're like me, you'll be a poster child for the post-work condition!

[nineoaks]

Dear Birdy:

Well, I'll be sure call on you when I need expert advice. After just one month of being ungainfully (and happily) unemployed, I cannot figure out how I ever had time to work. This is a good sign, no?

Thanks for your kind wishes,

nineoaks

[cb]

Congratulations!  Glad to hear you've already found many ways of filling your additional free time.  I too am madly jealous.

[birdy]

Well, I'll be sure call on you when I need expert advice. After just one month of being ungainfully (and happily) unemployed, I cannot figure out how I ever had time to work. This is a good sign, no?

nineoaks

For the first few years, I woke up every morning thinking to myself, "I'm on vacation!" 

The thing I like best is not having to go out when the weather is miserable. 

I also noticed that I had as much written in my little pocket calendar as when I was working, though admittedly, many of them were records of which restaurant(s) I'd eaten in each day.  I felt the same as you: "How did I have time to work?"

Have you set yourself any goals for your retirement?  I had two:  clean my house, and finally compile my birding life list.  I did succeed in throwing out a lot of papers in the first 6 months - I've never done the life list.  I'm too busy!

One of my friends - much more productively active than I - has a rule:  get out every day to do something - movies, museums, theater, gallery openings, sports events, exploring a new area of the city, a hike - choice is up to whatever you're interested in.

[nineoaks]

Dear Birdy:

You asked if I have set any goals for retirement. I do have some interests that I want to pursue, but I am trying to keep from over-committing myself.

I volunteer at the local elementary school (where I taught for many years). Once a week, I visit the kindergarten and first grade classes and do a short Spanish lesson. Fun! I also volunteer with our public library's adult literacy program, working with people who, in mid-life, have bravely decided to learn how to read.

Like you, I have the goal of cleaning my house. I've started on the attic: scary!

Have you done any traveling since you retired? I'd like to spend an extended period in a Spanish-speaking country to work on my fluency and keep my brain alive.

Thanks so much for your friendly postings,

nineoaks

[nineoaks]

Congratulations!  Glad to hear you've already found many ways of filling your additional free time.  I too am madly jealous.

Thanks, CB, for your good wishes. Much appreciated,

nineoaks

[birdy]

Have you done any traveling since you retired? I'd like to spend an extended period in a Spanish-speaking country to work on my fluency and keep my brain alive.

Oh yes, I've gone birding in quite a few places.  That's my incentive and excuse for traveling - "There must be birds in that place!"  But since I don't keep a life list (still), I don't always remember what I've seen. So that means I'll have to go back some day, right?

I've done some volunteering too - both with my union Local, where I was the recording secretary for quite a while before I retired, and with a local conservation/environmental group where I worked on a couple of long-running projects.  The conservation project is finished, but I still do work for the Local, mostly writing memos and letters and occasionally working on speeches for our president to present to the city council.

[a non-amos]

Happy retirement!

A few years ago a dear friend retired and had a retirement party.  As a retirement gift, purely as a joke, I got her a daily planner.

She put it to good use, and these days she could not do without one (either on paper or electronic).

Cheers!

[nineoaks]

Thanks, A-non! I appreciate your good wishes. I was happy to be able to make the switch from my old one-page-a-day planner to a two-pages-a-week format. Such a luxury!

nineoaks

[pat]

Hi nineoaks. After a great deal of thought and with no little trepidation (mainly revolving around could I afford it) I volunteered for redundancy just over five years ago and took early retirement at the same time. While I can't say that my life has been filled to overflowing since then, it was certainly the best decision I ever made.

Just to be able to do what you want when you want and not to be accountable to anyone is worth its weight in gold and the big bonus for me is not having to get up while it's still dark!

The financial aspect wasn't a problem at all and, like birdy, I've been able to scoot off to exotic locations to look for birds, something I wouldn't have been able to do when I was working as they frowned on people taking more than two weeks off at a time.

So congratulations on your retirement - I'm sure you'll make the most of it.

[nineoaks]

Dear Pat:

Congratulations on your excellent decision! It's lovely to know that your retirement has been such a success.

Thanks for your kind wishes and may you continue to enjoy your days...

nineoaks