The Truth About Retirement

"Life consists of what a man is thinking of all day."

                                            -Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been retired now for two months.  Here is what I have learned.  While perceptions of retirement vary, all retirement really means is that you don't go to your job anymore.  That is the only universal truth, (well, that and there is no such thing as comfortable thong underwear.)

What will you spend your time doing after you retire?  Whatever you spent your time doing before you retired, minus the job.  While I'm sure my interests will evolve over the years (just as they did while I was working), I now spend my time doing exactly what I did before I retired, only more of it.  (Which reminds me of a wise friend's similar observation after a cocktail one evening, "I feel more like I do now than when I first came in.")

Life consists of what a man is thinking of all day.  Being retired just means that what you are thinking of all day is exactly what you want to be thinking about, not what someone else is paying you to think about.

Comments

[Working Rachel]

"Being retired just means that what you are thinking of all day is exactly what you want to be thinking about, not what someone else is paying you to think about."

I love this!

[Sara]

Hola & Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

And I am so honored to be quoted by you...and on the same page with Ralph!

I've been wondering about your 2-month anniversary and if your budget is going as you had planned? Is it too early to tell?

Sara

[Retired Syd]

Well thank you for the 2-month anniversary wishes oh wise friend.

So far we are living under budget, very well indeed. But I'm trying not to get too cocky and spoil it.

If you are not going to write a guest post for my blog, I'll just write you in myself, see?

Syd

[Patricia R]

I will be joining the ranks of the retired in just a few days! I will be anxiously following your blog to see what I should be doing.

Patricia R