Depressed, without purpose,
in Retirement...

by Carol
(Memphis)

I am recently retired and like many longed for leisure time, time to meditate on life and to do things I had always wanted to do.

The problem is that since age 6 I have had no unstructured leisure time. Formal employment since age 22 - am now 63 - with no breaks.

I am divorced with no children and with a family that while close does not offer me great support, as they have their own problems and challenges. I live alone, but while I have friends have no one who periodically calls me everyday.

I have visions of dying and not being found for a week - this did happen to a friend of mine so it is not that absurd.

Also like many my savings are not what they were - have lost quite a bit in the stock market so for now I have to live on my pension and try not to touch the savings - so I am worried about expenses, although not destitute.

I am still in contact with my place of employment, where I had a very successful career, but had to retire at a specified age, although my projects were not completed.

Due to cut backs and the current economic situation, the person I had expected to replace me could not be hired and thus everything I created is slowing falling into decay.

So I find myself depressed and without purpose.

My hobbies would be playing piano, reading, watching TV, and playing video games (which would be the funniest-looking thing ever XD).

I'd like to live somewhere in New England, though anywhere damp and woodsy would do. I love nature, so it follows that I would want to live near it.

My definition of retirement would be "The point at which a person discontinues work or input into his or her occupation voluntarily to live upon the benefits provided by his or her previous occupation or the monetary savings of said person."

Personally, I don't think I will retire. I'm a writer, and being a writer doesn't require much physical input. The only way I would stop is if I got bored of writing or just couldn't come up with anything to write. So I guess that could be considered as a "part-time job".