Retirement! Faaark…

 So it happened.

21st June 2024 all of a sudden it was my last day at work. 

After spending more than 40 years of working at jobs that I never really enjoyed (though obviously not every minute as I’d probably not be here now…) jobs that “had their moments” but in general weren’t exciting career material. 

How do you know? When you’re at a party, and talking to someone you’ve never met before - what’s your name? Where do you live? What do you do for a living?

After number three you could literally see people glazing over. I mean, OK, so my job wasn’t an exciting one (I fixed copiers, printers, and did all the associated IT) but obviously it was terribly terribly important. I mean, we didn’t get any time off through Covid as we were considered an essential service, and from the comments of many a customer, not only their lives, but their businesses depended on getting their print out, scan or whatever delivered in a timely fashion. Office equipment is apparently just as important as any medical professionals job, or the functioning of a heart lung machine at very least…

It wasn’t a surprise. I wasn’t retrenched or sacked. It was a planned move.

There are questions. 

Why don’t more people retire earlier? Unless we’ve really badly miscalculated our financial affairs I think we’ll be reasonably comfortable - I mean, we’ve never been wealthy and don’t expect to live the life of millionaires but having done the sums, many times over, we think that we’ll be OK until we pop off this mortal existence and get to find out where we go after death…

Sense of being needed? Sense of having to leave some kind of payout to your kids (we don’t have any).

So at just short of sixty years of age, I finally had enough of sitting in at least 3 hours of traffic getting to and from work, listening to the bloated expectations of others that we would bend over backwards to meet despite being the lower end of the market - cheap - rather than telling them to be realistic with what they paid or lower their expectation all in the name of providing a professional service.

I gave my employer about four months notice and we worked together to make sure I could train my replacement which was beneficial for the company and for me.

It all went well, and was very amicable. I have no concerns about being able to find enough to do and not get bored - people ask “what are you going to do with your time” and my answer is inevitably “whatever I want”. Which is kind of the point.

Edit: I'd forgotten I'd started this piece and never published it until now.

It's a bit over two years later and I'm now 61. Life changes. It's still wonderful being retired. I still have so many things to do that I never get bored, and can pass on what I found to be my wisdoms for those of you planning to retire.

1. It took me about 12 months to get adjusted to being retired. Decompressing from not having to follow the 9-5 routine. We also moved from our house and area to somewhere more remote to help finance the earlier retirement.

2. Take time to do nothing, and don't feel guilty for not being "on the go" all the time. Sitting in nature, reading a book, or whatever you want are valid things to be spending your time on.

3. If you like routine - don't forget most of us have been programmed throughout our working lives to follow routine - and if routine makes you feel comfortable, its easy to make your own. Just please yourself. Chores on a particular day, grocery shopping etc, just don't forget to build in doing things that you enjoy too.

4. Think of all the times you found an excuse to say "no" to something and find an excuse, and try starting to say "yes". New experiences, can be very invigorating. Take yourself out of your comfort zone occasionally and you might just find it changes your viewpoint on life.

I've always considered myself to be increasingly grumpy as I've got older. Now I've retired, I'm just getting older - and not so grumpy! Feeling tired all the time through working hard is sadly something many readers may identify with. Earning is a necessity for most of us and 40 odd years work can really take its toll.

However there is hope and a light at the end of the tunnel!

Do your finances carefully and you might just find you can retire too. 

I've not looked back during the time I've been retired, and found a new contentedness and inner peace. 

I hope you can too.