What??? How could retirement not be the dream come true for everybody?
I can think of several reasons, which is why I’m sharing them with you now. Before I do, however, please understand that most retirees I know are very happy in retirement. A relative in Arizona, who retired in 2013, told me she thanks God every day that she is retired. Her life is full in retirement, although COVD has slowed it down somewhat, and she is happy with that slowdown.
I, on the other hand, am not a slow-down kind of gal. I like being busy. And I understand that my disability has slowed my life down in ways I never could have imagined. Being unable to drive is…well, horrible. I have close friends and family who drive me places, but the loss of independence is…well, horrible. No other way to describe it, and I’d be lying if I tried to make it sound all right. For an independent, formerly very busy person like me, it’s…well, you get the idea.
But that’s not the issue for you. You are fairly healthy, able to drive wherever you’d like, and looking forward to retirement. Here are my suggestions for what you might want to consider before doing so (other than the obvious, like making sure you can live comfortably on your income).
- Your friends still work. When I first retired and was still able to drive (just here in town), most of my friends were still working. This meant I had all the time in the world to do things but no one to do them with.
- Your spouse is still working. Have the two of you talked for years about the cruises, the trips to the mountains, the long-term stays on the beach? Kind of hard to do if your spouse is still working. Maybe you want to go alone, but most people prefer companionship. After all, it’s been a joint dream.
- You don’t enjoy watching television or reading that much. I am not a daytime television watcher. I can’t sit for hours and watch programs, whether talk shows or Netflix or YouTube or whatever. Daytime means I need to be doing something, not sitting. And with only two in the house, there is only so much housecleaning that needs to be done I do listen to audio books (and would read actual books if I could), but even that can get old if you do it too much.
- Retirement can be fattening. I gained five pounds the first year after retirement, and it’s taken me a year to lose them. As a teacher, I was on my feet all day and logged 6,000 steps most days before getting off. It’s kind of hard to move around that much every day without a purpose for doing so, and being home makes it a lot easier to snack when you shouldn’t.
- Every day is Saturday (except for Sunday), and therefore, there’s nothing to look forward to anymore. How I looked forward to Friday nights, the best night of the week! Friday nights were super special because I knew an alarm clock would not be waking me the next morning, and it was so special to sit around on Saturday mornings before doing whatever I needed to do for the day. You don’t realize how great it is to have something to look forward to until you don’t have it to look forward to anymore.
I know my opinion is somewhat skewed because my retirement is marred by my disability. Maybe it wouldn’t be boring for me if I could do all the things I dreamed of doing. I do love not having to get up at 5:30 every morning. I sleep in until 6:00 or 6:30, ha ha! I love sitting in my pj’s and robe while I drink coffee and take my time getting dressed. I don’t miss teaching, although I miss the students and my co-workers. But I do miss having a goal to work toward and a reason to do something.
However, this brings me to another point. What if you are like I once was, a person with multiple ideas and goals for your retirement years? I was going to do volunteer work, countless arts and crafts projects (one thing I kept putting off was building a dollhouse and decorating it, one of those kits at Hobby Lobby), drive to different places to see friends and family, write those best-selling books (LOL), and more? What if you would be perfectly happy golfing several times a week or other hobbies?
In that case, be careful about putting off retirement too long. I believe in being financially responsible and wise, but consider your health and the fact you are aging. If you keep putting off retirement, even though your retirement fund is ample, you may not be able to enjoy those retirement years. Your health may rob you of the ability to do the things you enjoy, and you will wonder why you waited so long.
As I said, most would likely disagree with me. Most people are not hyper like I am, and as I said, my opinion is somewhat skewed. I just thought I’d share a different view of retirement as food for thought. After all, we’re all unique, and what makes one person happy makes another person miserable.
You just have to figure out what kind of person you are.
Life As I know it 