Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Retirees, when you were down to the last few months or weeks of work and looking ahead at this vast unknown continent called retirement, how did you feel?
Here's a picture of me for the past week (since I "put in my papers," as they say): off-balance, anxious, awake at night, and spending a lot of time organizing my lists. I'm almost afraid to look at the sunlight at the end of the tunnel -- will it turn out to be an illusion? Is this really happening?
I'm an extremely organized person, and that part of me has always been in battle with my creative side. In fact, organization has ruled for the past four decades or so, other than the times I was taking care of babies. Now I'm going from one structure to another -- at least I know it will be a structure of sorts, but it's not built yet. I'm excited about the future, but I can hardly bring myself to even imagine it.
Will this pass? How did you feel when it happened to you?
You say that you are an extremely organized person, yet, it sounds like your 'retirement plan' is pretty much to "march to the edge of the retirement cliff and jump-off; hoping for the best." (Perhaps you really have a plan that you simply didn't reveal here (?).
As I approached retirement, I remember people asking, "When will you be able to retire?" ... as if 'retirement' was a point at which one simply 'took the plunge.' I always responded, "Whenever I can afford it!" ... which seemed to surprise some people. When it came right down to it, the experience itself seemed somewhat surreal, after working for over 40-years. But, I had a well thought-out financial and lifestyle plan, so didn't really feel a sense of uncertainty.
As you will hear from others on the Retirement Forum, getting 'used to' or learning to enjoy retirement ... is the easy part!
I have lots of fun and worthwhile and exciting activities planned -- no marching to the edge for me! The finances and lifestyle plans are mostly in place, and will be after my meeting with the retirement plan manager at my university next week. But it does feel as you described: surreal. Maybe the first week after realizing it's happening is like this? And I will feel more grounded in a week or two?
I got my jitters at the beginning of this year, knowing I'd be retiring at the end of the year. I posted about them on another forum and most everyone had gotten them at some point. Call it the fear of uncertainty, not knowing if you're truly prepared. For some, it generates the One More Year syndrome, saving another year to ensure they have enough. For me, it passed in about two weeks. It also helps that the B.S. bucket at work is overflowing, making me want to leave even earlier.
You say that you are an extremely organized person, yet, it sounds like your 'retirement plan' is pretty much to "march to the edge of the retirement cliff and jump-off; hoping for the best." (Perhaps you really have a plan that you simply didn't reveal here (?).
As I approached retirement, I remember people asking, "When will you be able to retire?" ... as if 'retirement' was a point at which one simply 'took the plunge.' I always responded, "Whenever I can afford it!" ... which seemed to surprise some people. When it came right down to it, the experience itself seemed somewhat surreal, after working for over 40-years. But, I had a well thought-out financial and lifestyle plan, so didn't really feel a sense of uncertainty.
As you will hear from others on the Retirement Forum, getting 'used to' or learning to enjoy retirement ... is the easy part!
This is spot on. I still have a decade or two to go, but to me, it's all about having the right plan in place so that you're not anxious about it.
Financially planning with FireCalc, cFIREsim, or whatever other tools are available to make me feel "warm and fuzzy" about the future of my monies.... and Lifestyle planning: getting some strong short-term and long-term lifestyle goals in place to guide you into the first phase of retirement.
I can see I wasn't clear in my first post. I have the financial/lifestyle plans in place, and I'll be living pretty much as I do now, with about the same income. I've been fiddling with those calculators for years and getting advice from a financial consultant, who happens to be my brother.
I think what's making me nervous is that I always had to write my books outside of my day job, for three or so hours in the early mornings before the sun came up. I had to fit them in around the 9-5 job. And now I don't! It's incredible. It's liberating. It's also very scary! It's like, now you have the time, are you going to produce good stuff?
The other major change going on in my life is that I'm getting ready to sell my home (in January) and move to a different part of the country with my husband. After 60 years here, it's a significant change.
Its like getting married in IMO; no matter how much you plan its a huge change in your life. When the day come that on sunday evening you don't have that feeling that you should be preparing for something then you have arrived.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,206,701 times
Reputation: 57821
Quote:
Originally Posted by texdav
Its like getting married in IMO; no matter how much you plan its a huge change in your life. When the day come that on sunday evening you don't have that feeling that you should be preparing for something then you have arrived.
This, also like buying your first house, having your first child, and your first child getting married. Only worse, because for all of those you were probably working. I have just a few years left so I am starting to
get to that point, and I try to concentrate on the things I have been meaning to do over the last 20 years and haven't had time, rather than worrying about the financial aspects.
I can see I wasn't clear in my first post. I have the financial/lifestyle plans in place, and I'll be living pretty much as I do now, with about the same income. I've been fiddling with those calculators for years and getting advice from a financial consultant, who happens to be my brother.
Glad to hear it; -sounds like you are well prepared. Still, I remember the strange thought on that last day as I left the office .... "I will never have to get-up and go to work again ... in this lifetime!" --strange feeling.
I think what's making me nervous is that I always had to write my books outside of my day job, for three or so hours in the early mornings before the sun came up. I had to fit them in around the 9-5 job. And now I don't! It's incredible. It's liberating. It's also very scary! It's like, now you have the time, are you going to produce good stuff?
I had a similar experience with writing and preaching/teaching 3-5 times per week over the years --When I had to fit preparation and writing in around my 'day job', I felt much more focused and a greater compulsion to make the time count! -- Since retirement (2008), it feels like less of a 'requirement', thus, I feel much less driven to invest every minute wisely. As you said, it has become very liberating!
The other major change going on in my life is that I'm getting ready to sell my home (in January) and move to a different part of the country with my husband. After 60 years here, it's a significant change.
We moved to a new, unfamiliar part of Florida in 2011 (after 30-years in our prior location). It was a big deal ... but, also an exciting and worthwhile transition. In retirement, "Change" feels much less threatening ... perhaps since it is more often driven by our own desires and interests, rather than a career or other external force that is driving us
I got my jitters at the beginning of this year, knowing I'd be retiring at the end of the year. I posted about them on another forum and most everyone had gotten them at some point. Call it the fear of uncertainty, not knowing if you're truly prepared. For some, it generates the One More Year syndrome, saving another year to ensure they have enough. For me, it passed in about two weeks. It also helps that the B.S. bucket at work is overflowing, making me want to leave even earlier.
LOL, that's for sure about the work BS bucket- although you have to know that your perspective of "halleluia, I'm retiring in.....(fill in the time slots)" makes that bucket look even fuller than it might be.
I had been eligible to retire from the job I had then for about 2 years before I actually did- just waiting for what seemed like the right time. We had the finances in place, our plans in place, and DH has a good pension and mine was not too bad, he was even able to carry the health insurance with him from his job, so that wasn't a worry either.
It was several things that made me decide when it was time. One was a decided uptick in the amount in the work BS bucket, another some changes that would adversely affect folks who retired after 7/2011, and a daughter who was battling a life-threatening illness, was in and out of the hospital frequently, and who needed our help.
Other than the unending worry about the daughter at the time, which of course tempered our perspectives on everything else, I was overjoyed at the prospect of not having to answer to a boss or get mired in the political work games anymore. Like the OP, I had done some contract work outside my regular job,- in my case working for a continuing education company- all done on the computer and internet, so with retirement I had more time for that, but could also put it aside for the time I needed for other things.
And nearly 2.5 years later, the daughter is much better, is getting on with rebuilding her life, and we're doing well. In fact, we're still euphoric about retirement....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
