Retiring Soon! And a little scared !!

17 years ago

It's early in the morning and I couldn't sleep :) My last day to work is Feb.13th, I started with the company 24 years ago on the 13th, so thought that it would be fitting to end on that day also. I have really been looking forward to retiring, but now that it's just a week or so away I'm wondering how I'll adjust. Any advise to shoo away these feelings? Ellen

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

foxygrandma9
17 years ago
I went through that when I retired. I really liked my job and the people I worked with. I thought of all the extra time I had to do the things I liked. More time to spend in my yard, and with the GK's and the hobbies I like . Maybe plan a trip, nice to know you can go now, and not have to rush back, wasn't long before I was feeling good aboute it, of course I still miss everyone, but that is taken care of by staying in touch, and having lunch sometimes. Relax and enjoy, and watch your garden grow. Congratulations on your retirement.
nancyjeanmc
17 years ago
If you weren't nervous, you probably couldn't be excited, either! I think it would be worse if there weren't some level of nervousness!
Ok...what I would do? Sit down and make a list of 10 things that grab your heart (hospice? children? battered women? the list is endless) and then narrow it down to one or two. Then look into volunteering ONE DAY A WEEK in that area. Don't be tempted to do more. If you burn out, you won't look forward to it, or feel good about it.
THEN...list 10 things you've wanted to do FOR YOU. A college course? Teach? Learn to quilt? (Oh, yeah...that's mine. And I start my class, with a friend, next month.) Then narrow down to one or two things, depending on how time consuming. Again, don't over load or you might burn out.
When my boys went to "traditional school," (they were homeschooled) I started teaching Bible again. Of course, once you make yourself available, they requests to take on "one more thing" or teach "one day more a week" start coming hard and fast. (You know the rule: 85% of all the "jobs" are done by less that 15% of all the people in any organization...including Church!) I learned to say NO...and it keeps my "job" fun, and (on a selfish note) makes people appreciate what you can give them/do for them!
Just e ~ a ~ s ~ e into it!
I'm very excited for you.
Nancy
Related Discussions
Scared of my seeds :)
Q
Comments (11)
I've been trying to think of a gentle way to tell you that you are way over-thinking seed starting. Seeds have been growing on their own forever so toss some seeds on some soil and relax. This is suppose to be fun! I usually just pat my Snap seeds down on top of the medium and put them outside. They direct sow nicely too. I've started many plants in window sills but you need to turn the seedlings everyday. However, they will probably get a little leggy no matter what you do. Take them out of the trays of water! You want them to moist but not soaking. I'm concerned that the radiator is too hot. Very few seeds require a heating pad nor all that much heat to germinate. Seedlings grow better in cool temps. My growing room is in the basement that holds around 50 degrees. I have one heat mat but as often as not I just put my flat on the dining room table until I see sprouts, them move it down under lights. There is no one "right" way to grow from seed. Have you tried the "baggie method" or "Winter Sowing"? Everyone needs to figure out what works for them. Have fun and EXPERIMENT!
...See More
New to Building-Scared to Pieces-What to choose?
Q
Comments (11)
I'm currently building in upstate SC, and we have a walk-out basement. Due to the slope of the land, we would have wound up with a very tall crawlspace, so a basement made sense. Might as well have usable space! Properly built, basements should NOT be wet! Unless you build in the path of an underground stream, the basement should be dry if it is built right. There should be a perimeter drain system to collect water and conduct it to a sump pump or down hill. In addition to waterproofing, you want a drainage plane (usually referred to as dimple board). Backfilling should be mostly gravel except for at the surface. Add to that properly sloping of the ground around the house, and a good gutter system, and you can have a good, usable basement. If you have a good slope, you should be able to have a walk-out basement, which is kind of halfway between a basement and a ground floor. I love having a basement. A suspended wood floor is much easier on your knees and back than a slab. Accessibility to plumbing and other utilities and mechanicals is a big plus. Around here, there have been a lot of frozen pipes lately in uninsulated crawlspaces. A basement will stay above freezing if it is properly sealed up. It's also cheap square footage should you ever want to convert it to living space.
...See More
Scared to retire...
Q
Comments (4)
Do you expect that your Social Security will be partially indexed to inflation? I doubt that it'll be fully indexed. Unless it is, you need to calculate that your income from Social Security won't grow as fast as your expenses. With all of that Boomer crowd due to retire in the next 20 - 30 years ... many feel that increases in Social Security are very improbable, in fact, some shrinkage of coverage is much more likely. Now ... or ten years down the road. Or thirty - we've been living much longer, in recent years. I find it much more pleasant to have a couple of bucks extra ... ... rather than being a couple of bucks short. I'd feel uncomfortable retiring with only 70% of previous income initially, for I think that you'll be needing at least that much to live on (without planning for major travel, cruises, etc). at that point. With the prospect that expenses will likely increase more rapidly than income, in future years - without allowing for the major probability that there'll be larger medical expenses, whether via insurance or out-of-pocket costs for services (especially as I assume that you are a U.S. resident). Will you have a paid-for home to sell, in a higher priced area, to move to a smaller place in that market, thus planning on some asset left over (but don't forget the costs of selling and buying). Would you be willing to move to an area where there is less industry and business, so less attractive, with house prices lower? Would you be willing to leave current friends, relatives, etc.? And would you be happy, living there? Or if you plan to continue in your current home, to sell it when it suits you, to provide increased asset to fund your retirement life? And don't forget that from then on, you'll have increased expense due to renting a roof over your head. Especially if that residence is in a retirement or nursing home. Do you have some interests that you might be able to develop or increase, to provide some supplementary income during retirement? Baby-sitting, pet-sitting (or dog-walking)? My daughter, who inherited her Mom's old mini Dachsie on her death upwards of three years ago, has travelled about four times in the past year (she works on computer, so whereever she can plug into high-speed connection, she's in business) ... and left the female canine ("dog" is male) with her Dad while doing it. Much cheaper than boarded in a kennel or with a vet. And the F C loves to spend hours out running around the yard on the farm, when the weather is warm (and we haven't made her a coat, yet - maybe we can get some fake fur and make one for her before winter - I douubt that she'd turn up her nose, due to its being "fake"). Trouble is ... as she's 14 ... she may not live that long? Possibly house-sitting while retired folks go on a cruise, visit kids, winter in FL, AZ, etc. ... as most insurance contracts become void, or offer greatly reduced payouts, if one makes a claim when the owners/renters are absent and the residence has not been visited at least once every three days or similar. Church, social, sport-related or seniors' groups might have members who would be pleased to have you do such, if they knew you well (or had excellent references). Do you have skill that you could market? Just some thoughts that may be of interest. ole joyful
...See More
retiring and weather check
Q
Comments (43)
Congratulations on your retirement!! My Mother In Law just turned 80 and retired this year after working the same job for almost 60 years. She was a micro biologist and molecular biologist at a hospital and had only worked that one job. Like other hospital employees she had to work whether it snowed, was a holiday or they needed extra staff on her days off. She loved her job but sadly they restructured at her hospital and the new management worked daily to try and push her out because of her age and the fact that she was one of the highest paid people in her position because of all of her years. She finally decided enough was enough and retired though she probably could have worked another few more years she is in excellent health and you would never know her age if she didn't tell you. I understand about needing the house cold. I have a neurological issue that makes it difficult to regulate my temperature. I keep my house at 68 during the day and 65 at night. If it isn't low enough I over heat and I can not cool down. I sleep in a tank top and shorts and my poor housemates wear sweatshirts and socks. I feel bad but it is so hard for me to cool down. I live in Florida now but when I lived in Mass I would leave the windows cracked at night in the winter time even when the nights were in the 20s and 30s it was perfect for me. Right now here in Florida our nights have been in the upper 60s and days are still in the 80s. I wish we would get some rain. My grass misses those summer storms we get and is looking a little dry even with running the sprinklers 2xs a week.
...See More
PRO
Nell Jean
17 years ago
Every day's a Holiday, every meal's a Picnic!

You DID think about what you'd do when you retired, before you set that date, didn't you? You have hobbies, interests?

We all need purpose. When I retired, my younger son had died in a motor vehicle accident 15 months before and one of my plans was to 'lick my wounds' so to speak. After a year, I prayed, literally, for purpose. Not a formal prayer, I just stood in my porch and said out loud, "Lord, I need purpose." Purpose found me before the week was out.

I do as little or as much as I want. DH was retired ten years before me, and though unemployed, he's never been 'out of work.' We had traveled before, travel is not something we enjoy. Hard work is fun if it's something you choose to do. Our latest project has been putting together a Harbor Freight greenhouse and adapting it to my needs and his ideas.

Good luck.

Nell
nancyjeanmc
17 years ago
I hope you sleep better tonight. And the best way to "shoo those feelings" is to turn them over to God. All of it; don't try to take it back. He'll handle it.
Let us know how your night goes.
Nancy
nonacook
17 years ago
When Bill retired from the Navy, we started doing craft shows. We did woodcraft, and both of us had our own bandsaws, and cut and sanded. I did most of the staining, and handpainting the items. We had no problems with this retirement, because we kept busy! My parents retired from school teaching and 10 years after Mother had retired, she was still saying "This is something I had planned to do as soon as I retired and am just now getting aroud to doing it!" You won't have any problems!
ellens_joy
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you all for your wonderful responses. I took a weeks vacation and then was off week with the ice storm ( I had some vacation to burn) and found myself having trouble staying focused on anything that I started. I guess that scared me because I am usually goal orientated. I would catch myself starting something and then go into another room and start something else without even giving any thought as to what I had been doing. Yikes! what an awful feeling! DH keeps saying, it well take awhile too adjust to not having a deadline on finishing what you started (he had to retire do to health issues some 10years ago). I just feel so anxious for some reason. I am in good health as far as I know and maybe when spring arrives and everything starts popping up in the flower gardens I will feel better about all this. Right now I feel kinda at loose ends, and I haven't even retired yet!! Still have one more week and two days to go. Thanks all of you for listening to me whine and I will give all your suggestions a good deal of thought !! Love you guys. Ellen
nancyjeanmc
17 years ago
Oh Ellen...I know exactly what you are talking about. When I start scattering myself, I sit down and LIST. I am pretty anal, so it is hard for me to NOT finish something once I have committed the task to writing. And if the task is big, I list the steps I need to go through. I know that doesn't work for everyone; and many will think it's a bit over the top, but it helps keep me focused (and that isn't always easy!)
Nancy
susie_gardener_2007
17 years ago
Hello Ellen,

How's the retirement going so far? I worked in an office where four ladies retired one after another in just a few years. From time to time we would all meet for lunch, the retirees and those of us still working. It was a close-knit bunch of ladies and we all felt like family. It was an amazing discovery to me that each one of them who retired looked younger and more rested and had more money than they had when they were working. And while we had to rush thru our lunch to get back to work, they got to stay and take their time and leisurely visit with each other. And they didn't miss the work.

I hope you are having a wonderful time living the good life of retirement.

Susie
emagineer
17 years ago
Retirement was early for me but I had my "passions" and think this helped a great deal. What I have found as time went on though was missing the interaction with so many who knew me and comradery of our knowledge. A bit of me missed the "title" too...especially when someone would ask what I did. All I could think of was "nothing".

Stay close to your friends and get involved with your passions. Retirement is a big transition, not to be underestimated, but gets easier. One day when you least expect it you will be reveling in it.

As one who was also goal oriented, it did take some time to figure out how to manage the time void. I hate to admit that a schedule just doesn't exist now, although some guilt at wasting time still hangs around. And I still have an old habit of heading home at the same time I would have when working.
cindyj123
17 years ago
Don't be scared! I'm looking forward to retiring... Even though it's still a ways away. I sometimes do get scared, though, when I think about how I'm going to afford retirement. But I just found a wonderful, new book: "SAVING FOR RETIREMENT WITHOUT LIVING LIKE A PAUPER OR WINNING THE LOTTERY". Let me tell you, I'm a teacher, but investing is Greek to me (and I'm not teaching Greek!) and this book is the first one I've ever read that I can understand. It's straight forward and I just bought copies for my parents and their friends (who are retiring!). Maybe reading it on rainy days will give you something to do with your extra time? It's a great guide. Happy Retirement and SPRING!!!
ellens_joy
Original Author
17 years ago
Cindyj, I will pick up a copy, thankyou for refering it to me. Really tho I am doing just great. I did all that worrying for nothing apparently. I have spent so much time in the gardens ( I had kind of neglected them in the past year) that I have a great tan, broken fingernails and a sense of well being. Thanking God for my good health. I haven't enjoyed myself so much for along time. I appreciate all the responses at a time when I needed encouragement. How scarey that was. Thanks again Cindyj.
Ellen
kirkus
17 years ago
Ellen, Sounds like things are going well for you in your retirement! I am so glad! I'm so happy you have your gardening, creativity, health, faith, your husband, and your gardening friends! Sounds like a full life! You have another gift though...one that you give to others...the gift of encouragement!!! I haven't been around on the forum for long but I have come to appeciate your follow-up postings! Your positive comments always bless me and make my day! So, I thank you! Happy Retirement, Ellen! Kirk
ellens_joy
Original Author
17 years ago
Kirk, Your posting brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for your kind words and I too appreciate your postings. Am so proud to have the opportunity to share with you and the others here on Garden Web! It's not ofen in ones life that someone you have never met in person can so touch your heart. May all your days be sunny..
Ellen
matthewkk
15 years ago
Staying close to the ones you love is best. Cheers to your retirement.

Here is a link that might be useful: Retirement Calculator

Retiring Soon! And a little scared !!

Comments (14)

foxygrandma9

nancyjeanmc

Related Discussions

Nell Jean

nancyjeanmc

nonacook

ellens_joy
Original Author

nancyjeanmc

susie_gardener_2007

emagineer

cindyj123

ellens_joy
Original Author

kirkus

ellens_joy
Original Author

matthewkk

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Retiring Soon! And a little scared !!

Comments (14)

Related Discussions

ellens_joyOriginal Author

ellens_joyOriginal Author

ellens_joyOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

ellens_joy
Original Author

ellens_joy
Original Author

ellens_joy
Original Author