Anyone else NOT WANT TO retire, ever?

[scarabchuck]

Originally Posted by Escort Rider

Since when is work not an experience? Work can entail many experiences, in fact: travel, meeting people of different backgrounds, all sorts of leaning (both formal and informal), intellectual challenges, and more. Please explain your statement.

Well that is one way of putting it . Maybe your chosen career is different, I'm a cube jockey. The most travel I might do is a trip to another supplier in the city. As far as meeting people of different backgrounds, yeah that is a challenge as well, trying to explain technical details over the computer (screen sharing) to people that their first language and probably their second is not English. All while having management pushing to get things done yesterday. So yes, quite diverse and challenging but absolutely no comparison to sitting on the patio overlooking the beach in Grand Cayman enjoying a cigar and a glass of bourbon. Or snowmobiling across the upper peninsula of Michigan. Or taking an ATV backpacking trip with a large group people.
I know, here comes the "the choice is yours, you can do whatever you want in life" statement. Well this is what I chose to do for a career, been doing it over 23 years and only have to do it for 10 or so more. I make comfortable living, the stress really isn't that bad , and I know what I'm doing. I would just rather be doing many more things than being at work.

I think another reason why I feel so strongly about this is I am seeing what my parents are doing and it completely disappoints me. My dad worked for 42 years at the same company, many years it was 7 days a week. He was a skilled tradesman at one of the big three. Year after year I would hear about how someday he would own a vintage muscle car, or someday he wanted to travel with a big fifth wheel trailer, or someday he would like to travel to Italy, or someday he would love to visit Thailand again. All these dreams and his excuse was work. Well he's been retired now for 6 years, and both him and my mother are extremely comfortable with zero financial worries. So what has he done since he's been retired...not a damn thing. Sleeps in, stays up late watching TV and basically both of them do nothing. Sure they might do busy work around the house but not a single thing he talked about when he was working has been done. We actually have a family cabin in northern Michigan, the only time they go is if my wife and I drag them up there. It is very sad to see, and my parents are relatively still young, they are both in their late 60's. It's a shame to see.