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

[Leon C]

I retired a week ago and found your website. Having spent most of one 's adult life working and just playing the corporate game on auto pilot, retirement is a radical change indeed ! I know I am not alone in this new transition. It seems ironic that one works, plans and finally retires that the final goal is not retirement from a career but to finding what one ' s real calling is about.

[Retired Syd]

@Leon: Welcome to retirement! I hope you'll share what you learn with us over here.

[ronaldj]

one year now for retirement and i-a-thinken...real good so far...

[Paul Claireaux]

Just found your site.
Love the stuff about no more performance reviews and having only yourself to value your efforts.
Been (semi) retired for 6 months.
Could stop if i wanted but fancy writing a book and creating a website to help others avoid the tripwires around money and investment.
like you say it's what i've been thinking about for the last 10 years so So here goes -

[Bren]

Enjoyed reading your site. Love knowing what other people are doing in retirement. I'll be back.

Thanks.

[Kaye]

Within a year of my jumping off point. Scared of what I will be jumping into. Blogs like this will be my compass.

[Michelle]

I am retiring June 12! Love the sharing.

[Maria]

Two months since I retired and enjoying it! Doing same things as usual but not getting up early, that's life!