Retirement: the good…and bad

Ah, retirement. It’s what we dream about when we’re burned out with our jobs or feeling stuck or exhausted from the hectic pace of life. We envision how wonderful life will be when we are not controlled by the clock or obligations. The freedom to travel, to sleep late, to do what we want to do when we want to do it. What could be better?

That was how I felt when the above picture was taken at The Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2018. I had retired a week earlier, but the reality of my new situation had not yet sunk in. As a teacher, I was used to summers off, so I knew I wouldn’t realize I was retired until school started back in August.

It was a wonderful feeling to be sitting out by our pool on the first day of school. I thought of my teacher friends and how that first day was affecting them. I remembered my own experiences and was glad those days were over for me. I had signed up to be a substitute at the school where I taught, a perfect set-up for me. I could sub if and when I wanted. I had the freedom to choose.

But the newness of retirement wore off. True, I had freedom, but almost all my friends were still working, so I had no one to do things with. My husband was still working, and he was too tired at night to go anywhere, so life became a routine of…boredom. My vision loss soon declined to the point I could no longer sub, which made it worse, but even if I’d had the vision to keep substituting, I think I would have felt the same.

I know plenty of people who love retirement, and maybe I would also if I could drive and go and do things on my own. Yet I know my personality. I’m high energy, very sociable, and goal-driven.

Six years have passed, and my feelings about retirement haven’t changed. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t miss the 5:30 A.M. alarm, the rushing to get ready, the days so full I’m exhausted at night. I enjoy taking my time to drink coffee, listen to a podcast, listen to a devotional, and get my inner self strengthened before beginning my day. I’m in two book clubs, three civic clubs, and the president of our local retired teachers association. I volunteer for activities at our church.

But there are still many hours to fill each week. TV, especially daytime TV, gets boring. Audiobooks are great–for a while. My hobbies–sketching, acrylic painting, doing crosswords with the use of a assistive technology, playing solitaire with cards for the visually impaired, cooking–sound like a lot, but even those things can get to be more of a chore than a pleasure because I can do them whenever I’d like.

When you retire, you lose something. You no longer have the weekends to look forward to, so every day blends into the next. You miss out on what’s going on in your community because you are not around people on a regular basis. If the weather is bad and you’re stuck at home…well, it gets boring.

My advice to anyone contemplating retirement is to know your personality. If you’re ambitious, goal-driven, and all those qualities I’ve described about myself, you might want to ease into it. See if your employer will allow you to work part-time (ideal for me, if I could) or retire from this job and find a fun part-time job. I used to dream of moving away from our town and living in a city so I could work somewhere fun. Something simple like being a docent in a museum or selling tickets at a place like Graceland or the Country Music Hall of Fame or relocating to the Smoky Mountains and working in one of the many tourist attractions there.

But family relationships and other circumstances prevent those “fun” jobs, so that is why I’m writing again. I’d prefer to have an office to go to where other people are working to do my writing. An ideal work schedule for me would be 9:00 to 3:00 three days a week. Anyone know of a job like that for a legally blind gal? Ha ha!

Like I said, these are just my thoughts. There are plenty of people who love, love, love retirement. Maybe I would if not for my vision issues.

I often say I’m an odd duck. I don’t love chocolate, pizza, or hamburgers. I prefer salads and fruit and yogurt and vegetables. I force myself to eat fish and chicken because of the protein. I enjoy walking several miles most days of the week. Yes, that’s right, I ENJOY walking. I enjoy exercise videos and swimming and would love to roller skate if not for my age and would definitely love to ride horses again.

So if you’re an odd duck like me, you might want to rethink your retirement plants. Just food for thought!