Hi
I am 63 and still working full time. I am fit and healthy, not overweight and am enjoying life. I originally intended to work till 65, take my pension, sell my house and settle down to enjoying my retirement. Now it is getting closer things have changed. I am about to take my pension as I can't afford to live without it, even though I am working and I now intend to work as long as I can, just as long as I can do my job. I will know when that time has come.
I am terrified of retirement. With spending all day 8:30am to 5pm working and meeting people, I find that going home and shutting the door is lovely. I enjoy my own company, and a couple of close friend's, but when I retire I will not have anything to take the place of the work I do now and the company it provides.
"Well you can join some groups and get some hobbies", I hear you say. Yes, I would love to but I don't have a private pension, only the state pension to look forward to and I can't see me being able to afford memberships. I already have insular hobbies like reading, gardening, computing, family history, walking, etc., which don't cost any money but they don't get me meeting people either.
When I draw my state and deferred pension, which will be soon, I hope to tool myself up with the latest technology, a smart TV, tablet, (yes, Skype for my granddaughter), new home phone etc, as I love technology and couldn't bear to be without it.
It has been a big decision to take my pension now instead of 2014, as once this decision is made there is no turning back. I feel the same way about giving up work. I'm probably being silly but that's how I feel.
I have a facebook account but only use it to contact my children and see what they are doing. I have a twitter account but don't use it. I have memberships to several family history websites and pay subscriptions for a couple of magazines. Whether I can keep these up after retirement remains to be seen but it looks like life will be very different.
No I'm not depressed, just taking stock of the future and what I think it holds for me. It may be different when it actually arrives but until then the cup is half full as always and 'there is always someone worse off than me'.