The benefits of getting older?

If only I could have enjoyed retirement when I was in my 20s and 30s.

Retirement and getting older are not the same thing.

And no alarm clock!

I agree with all you say, Katy. Retirement is the most contented stage of my life - nearly 4 years now, and it still feels like the honeymoon period. I love opening my sitting room curtains in the morning and seeing that line of rush hour traffic in the distance, knowing I don't have to sit in it!

I don't feel invisible in the physical sense, it's more that people aren't as
interested in my opinions now. I can almost hear the 'yes dear' tone in their voices. The advantages of getting older as far as I can see are grandchildren, my bus pass (which I use nearly every day), free prescriptions! listening to family and ex-colleagues telling me how dreadful their working days are and knowing I am out of all that, having our holidays to suit us and not our employers, doing as I wish with my days, not having to rush round in my lunch hour or at weekends for shopping. My DGD said to be recently when we were giving her some money for her holidays 'nan you are so lucky, you don't have to work and you have got lots of money' (I wish!). I was dreading retirement, not because I loved working but because of the age thing. But 4 years down the line it has been good so far. I have surprised myself with this post, as I am usually a very negative person !!

I'm loving retirement and a slower pace of life. I work half a day most weeks, and enjoy that but I wouldn't want to be working full time. I'm fortunate in that I paid into a good pension scheme, and we'd managed to pay of our mortgage by the time ill health forced my retirement, and my husband was made redundant (forced by the cuts is another way of putting it). Life still seems very busy though and I'm one of those boring retired folks who wonders how they ever managed to fit work in. I had so much more energy then, and less aches and pains but hey ho, the sun is shining and I have some bulbs to plant once those dogs have had a run.

I found I became invisible when I went white-haired. Suits me! (The invisibility, not the white hair!) I can make my presence felt when needed.

Gracesmum, You made me laugh! Especially the bit about being invisible. I have shrunk so much (now under 5ft) that I think I really am becoming invisible. I found myself saying 'so true, so true'. Mind you it's nice to be able to do what you like when you like . Off to do a talk this afternoon, mustn't let the old grey cells get rusty.

maybe the best years of my life have gone,
but I wouldn't want them back .
Not with the fire in me now .

Samuel Beckett [Irish poet & playwright}

Talking of getting old retirement. We're off to my spiritual home, Ventnor, on Friday to catch up with old friends from way back when. We're all retired now and it sounds as though they have a great deal of fun and games planned for the week.

Youth is wasted on the young!

I now have an airport shuttle bus that stops at the end of my road every half hour [although when I first moved here the buses were very few and far between]. I can either go one way to the airport [not much good , that] or the other way into town. So I can go into town and look around then decide whether I need to buy anything other than doing a panic shop because I don't go there very often and my credit card goes all twitchy.

I haven't got one. I'd have to drive two miles to the bus stop so there's not really any point.

It would be useful for park and ride but I only do that about twice a year.

I've only used my bus pass once. #bike

I can't wait. Went into work this morning after two weeks off and realised I just didn't want to be there [it didn't help that nothing seemed to be working and someone had lit a bonfire and was smoking me and half the village out]. Wonder sometimes how I would be feeling if I actually had to work for another few years? Am I just feeling this because I am finishing soon? Looking forward to using my bus pass as well . No time to use it at present.

I suppose I'll have to retire sometime, but, tbh, I don't think I really want to!

When I was working I had 2 days off a week. Since I retired, not a single day off. I want to make the most of my London pension, I worked long enough for it! No more stress re work- love it.

It's all that gardening Merlot

My DD said "I can't wait to retire, all that free time and a pension to boot" Huh! My pension is about 1/10 of their income (guessing, might be even less) and they don't have the aches and pains, middle(!) aged spread, need to go to the loo in the middle of the night, thinning hair, sore feet, failing memory (have I said that?) and the inestimable benefit of beng totally invisible in shops and restaurants. Not bitter, you understand
Oh I forgot - I have a BUS PASS - so that's all right then!
PS Mishap you paid for that pension, remember?

I can't remember what I was doing the other day but DH said, 'You love being old, don't you?' I would have preferred him to have said retired but I know what he meant.

The last seven years have been difficult due to Mum's failing health but now she is in a good nursing home I am remembering what it's like to have a life of my own. Add in the bonus of an income that doesn't require going to work, what's not to like?

I just wish bits of me didn't ache so much

Flickety what an excellent post !

Retirement is delightful but I want it to last for a very long time as I am enjoying it so much.

There is a lot to be said for a regular income (pension), however small that does not require earning and being free of fears of job loss and income loss.

I am fortunate that I am still healthy and fit so beyond no longer having the stamina I had before life goes on much as it has for the last 30 plus years, except that I am in command of all my time and what I do in it.

For me retirement has much to commend it.

The only advantage I can see to growing older is the higher personal allowance, which is being frozen out!

Well, I didn't know it was Grandparents' Day yesterday!

The slideshow was taking forever to load, so I gave up...