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Old 03-05-2015, 09:53 AM
 
5,252 posts, read 4,651,130 times
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After seven years of being retired I now think of myself as a good candidate for "retiring" from the word itself. I have as much of a full life now as I ever did while working, actually much much more. It's odd to think that so many people have "trouble" when they quit working, my years of work were contributory in terms of what value I brought to society, and my years of retirement have been no less of a contribution, just differently viewed by most.

Before I retired the group of coworkers around me were asking what I was "going to do" when I retired. I thought then that these people hadn't really thought out just what retirement means, they were thinking along the lines of a vacation, the only time off they ever had outside of work. I told them that I had plenty to do, and that work was simply a bill paying form of activity for me, I was absolutely mentally prepared to stop work and just enjoy my time.

Americans have a penchant for defining those around them by the nature of their work, in retirement that view gets foggy, but, as soon as someone asks "what did you do while working", the defining continues. I have always wondered about the soundness of some peoples thinking when I see that they are still attempting to define themselves from the years of their work, are we really so caught up in ourselves to think that one couldn't possibly be able to change their colors during their lifetime. I am happy that my time is my own, and that happiness and peace is what defines me .
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Old 03-05-2015, 10:45 AM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,364,888 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nausikaa View Post
I saw someone on TV not long ago state that he was not worried about what people expected or thought of him, because he was in the "last quarter."

It doesn't matter whether you went to college, whether you were a housewife, a trust fund baby, or president of the US, your time is limited. After approximately age 64, you are in the last quarter. We don't know whether we will be here until the end of the game or not. Just enjoy every day, and don't wonder where you fit in to it all, just being here is enough.
Sure we do. At the "end of the game" we'll reach our expiration date and cease to exist on this plane. Perhaps that's all there is. Perhaps we move to the next level.

As for the rest, my wife and I are retired; no ifs, ands or buts. We both worked all our lives, raised children until their adulthood and now we do neither. To us, that's retirement. In the 18 years we've been married we've always shared the household chores, including cooking, and that hasn't changed although I do more now that she's disabled and we have hired help come in periodically to lend a hand but at the end of the day we're still retired and it feels good.
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Old 03-05-2015, 11:20 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,639 posts, read 57,683,287 times
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The term 'retirement' is over used.

Maybe the English language has another work / term for:

"no longer working for 'the-man' to meet financial needs"

"Freedom to do what is now (and always has been) More Important than working for wages!"

I will see if I can find a word from another more descriptive language, but not sure I will be able to write / read / pronounce it... I am USA 'language deprived'.
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Old 03-05-2015, 12:10 PM
 
Location: Idaho
2,091 posts, read 1,918,127 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RosemaryT View Post
Fred Rogers said, "You're not just the age you are; you're all the ages you've ever been."

So, you're all of those "stages," including retirement.
Rosemary,

Thank you for quoting Fred Rogers's statement. It reflects my sentiment perfectly.

I may be defined differently by different people throughout my life either based on my relationships/roles with them or what I do but I have always defined myself on what I am and what I have done. This self-definition helps with planning for the future, to deal with whatever challenges or setbacks that I am facing, and to have the confidence to make changes for the next phase of my life which is retirement.

I did not participate in the 'Golden Year not so golden' thread but I am certain that my retirement phase will be golden. My rosy outlook is not based on my bank/401K accounts, potential SS benefits or my current good health. It is based on what I have done throughout my life (went to schools, got married, raised a child, worked, learned new skills, traveled, moved, etc.). Some people had stated that their golden years were when they were at the peaks of their health, look, earning power, job status etc. For me, I am glad that I no longer have to worry about passing a test, getting a job, going through child rearing, taking care of sick parents etc I have been there, done that. I have successfully navigated all the twists and turns of my life course. I have survived and have the confident that I will continue to be able to meet whatever life challenges ahead.
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Old 03-05-2015, 12:55 PM
 
48,505 posts, read 96,610,333 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TuborgP View Post
This is both philosophical and very real at least to me. We have been retired over seven years and I no longer really feel the word retirement is appropriate at this stage. We previously in our lives went through various stages, involving concepts like youth, teens, young adults, middle age and now senior. Likewise we went through various activity stages like Elem, Middle/Junior and Senior High. Some went through the college stage and others went to the work or military stage, Marriage, Child Rearing, etc etc. As we eventually put some time between ourselves and our previous stages did we really consider ourselves in the context of what a previous stage or what and where our life is now. Working and having worked is not part of my identity anymore yet retirement is a definition of having stopped working. At this point Whoope so what! Do house wives retire? The unemployed unable to find work? The disabled unable to work? What about trust fund babies? They define themselves in terms of their current life style. Why not us? I am what my current life is and not what it has been over multiple decades. So does anyone else feel that way?
But still your current lifestyle is called retired; versus school days, college years or working life or whatever. Much to do about nothing like so many things; IMO.
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Old 03-05-2015, 01:15 PM
 
685 posts, read 716,992 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TuborgP View Post
This is both philosophical and very real at least to me. We have been retired over seven years and I no longer really feel the word retirement is appropriate at this stage. We previously in our lives went through various stages, involving concepts like youth, teens, young adults, middle age and now senior. Likewise we went through various activity stages like Elem, Middle/Junior and Senior High. Some went through the college stage and others went to the work or military stage, Marriage, Child Rearing, etc etc. As we eventually put some time between ourselves and our previous stages did we really consider ourselves in the context of what a previous stage or what and where our life is now. Working and having worked is not part of my identity anymore yet retirement is a definition of having stopped working. At this point Whoope so what! Do house wives retire? The unemployed unable to find work? The disabled unable to work? What about trust fund babies? They define themselves in terms of their current life style. Why not us? I am what my current life is and not what it has been over multiple decades. So does anyone else feel that way?
Ugh. I did define myself in terms of the work I did. Yes, work still exists and I'm not getting paid for it. That would definitely be a more accurate definition of retirement. I am still working. The main difference is I'm not harassed by people in competition for my job. I'm helping people who are in need and willingly so. I know my commute (since I don't have one) won't kill me and working at home also shouldn't unless I manage to get a 40' ladder to paint the facia. It's a heck of an adjustment.

I am disabled but rarely mention it to people as it has a stigma to me. Since I don't talk to many people and I can no longer use the phone, it's still taking a long time to adjust to it all. But I've never defined myself by what I can't do but rather what I can do. (Need your lawn mowed?)

I am what my current life is. IT is who I used to be and carries through a little or a lot as my partner's computer acts up (or mine) or friends get worried about whether or not they've been hacked. I was Treas. of our owners association and all that stuff is primary.

My father was considered retired but his life was his work. He got set up with a wireless computer and printer and did a lot of work from bed. This continued until days prior to his death.
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Old 03-05-2015, 03:28 PM
 
7,898 posts, read 7,084,716 times
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This discussion struck some feelings with me. When I am asked what I do, I will consider a different response than say I am retired. Instead I am an emerging artist and photographer.
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Old 03-05-2015, 03:31 PM
 
Location: Mt. Lebanon
2,001 posts, read 2,503,317 times
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People are different and the notion of retirement is different for everybody. How active/interesting/adventurous we make it it's totally up to us. It takes however an open mind to find this stage of life interesting. I'd say people who continued to be curious and to learn all their life will have no pb adjusting to the situations and doing what they love most.
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Old 03-05-2015, 04:42 PM
 
31,672 posts, read 40,940,324 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jrkliny View Post
This discussion struck some feelings with me. When I am asked what I do, I will consider a different response than say I am retired. Instead I am an emerging artist and photographer.
Bada Bing and awesome
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Old 03-05-2015, 04:59 PM
 
Location: SoCal desert
8,091 posts, read 15,385,554 times
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I'm not a philosophical person at all.
I'm just a self-supporting bum.
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