Work was a previous life

by Jay

I retired at 56 after putting in 37 years, took my pension and never looked back.

After getting up for years at 5am and getting to bed by 10pm, I quickly found I liked to stay up until 2-3am and wake up at 9-10am. The first year of doing this, it felt sinful to keep such hours. But I got used to it. I figured I would do volunteer work eventually but they all wanted early get-ups and I didn't retire to do more of that!

Once, many years before retirement, I happened to take a whole month of vacation, in August. Usually, I'd take a week here, a week there, where each day of vacation I'd get up and think, "Ok this is Monday. This is Tuesday, This is Wednesday," etc., as I counted the days to return to work.

But something wonderful happened when I took that month off. I found that after about a week and a half, I quit counting the days each morning nor was the return to work around the corner. In that spread of vacation, I found a timelessness in my days that was so peaceful and zen-like that I knew retirement someday was for me.

Every year since then, up to my retirement, I took a month off, joking to myself that I was practicing for retirement. That timelessness feeling cannot be beat. And now I live it every day. I do whatever I want, even if nothing much. No rush to here or there. No clocks.

I worked hard for this part of my life and I am glad for what I have now.

Comments for Work was a previous life

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retired
by: barb

I retired on Jan 1st, 2016 from the VA after37 years.

The first week was ok after that I was bored and depressed. I volunteered and then I got a job cleaning once a week. it was ok and got a part time job with laundry once a week for a year. i was happy ok for a while and now lost laundry job and depressed again. I volunteered. I m feel lost a lot.
what is wrong with me? barb

Retirement
by: Anonymous

I so enjoyed your post. Was laid off 2 months ago. I looked at it as a blessing. Hated every single day. I was a month shy of 65 so I was able to do the SS thing.

Like you, the alarm went off at 4 and i was in bed by 8. Took me a month to break away from that schedule. My dogs, however, have not.

I think what troubles me is why do people expect you to stay in motion, just because you are retired.

Have family members call, want to know what I am doing, so i make up stories. IS it so bad to do just nothing?

Anyway, you are me feel good, thanks for sharing.

I gotta ask....
by: Sandy

Jay - thanks for your upbeat post. I loved it.

Conversely, I have been one of those folks who did not enjoy retirement. I retired at 57 with 36 years at one major employer to spend more time with my hubby, given I was putting in 60 hour weeks. But I did not enjoy the retirement life and struggled until I went back to work.

So I am always impressed and delighted that some people actually went into retirement and loved it. I am curious how there could be such differences.

My questions - do you have lots of friends and family around? Are you an introvert or extrovert? Do you have lots of hobbies? Do you volunteer? How badly did you want to leave your job when you retired? Did you think of work as "just a job" or did you really get into it?

I only ask these as I still believe there must be away to transition to retirement happily as you did. So I ask and hopefully learn.

Many blessings to you - sounds like you are having a great time.

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