Are you enjoying your retirement?

Redhead56

Since our retirement three years ago two of our closest friends have been very ill that's been worrying. We have lived this covid nightmare as everyone has that seems never ending. Our beautiful daughter has suddenly become seriously ill our life is shattered. I am heartbroken I still visit Gransnet to distract me it's the only thing that seems normal to me.

So very sorry to hear about your daughter.

Redhead56 I'm so sorry that your daughter is so ill. That must be very hard for you. I hope things work out well for you all and that you have the love and companionship of friends and family as well as Gransnet to provide you with comfort.

Retirement is the best time of my life. Every morning I wake up and my first thought is 'I'm free! I can do as I please with today. Hooray!'

After 40 years in an office I had completely finished with work. Fed up with the tedium of endless meetings, hours I would never get back sitting listening to people bore on and the relentless grind of commuting and marching to the beat of someone else's tune.

I tried voluntary work but found it just like a job with the time commitment, meetings, rules and having to be somewhere at a set time so I ditched that pronto.

Now I spend all day every day enjoying my home, garden, time with my DH and dear dog in the lovely part of the country to which we retired. We have no dependents so we just enjoy life our own way.

We didn't have children and people used to say "Ohh you'll regret that when you're older." Well for me it is blooming lovely to be totally free, have no dependents or responsibilities and to just enjoy life our own way.

Our needs are very few and so the little money we have is enough. We walk, wild swim, cycle everywhere, read books from the library, grow our own veg, do crafts and go camping in our tent.

I am very lucky, very grateful and don't take any of it for granted for a moment.

threexnanny

Yes. I enjoy days out with OH. I love the freedom to choose how to spend each day. We still have plenty of involvement with the grandchildren and both have lots of hobbies.

Same here, I love it and think that I’ve earned it after a busy and hardworking life.

I ❤️ my retirement. It’ll be 7y next month. Packed in work at 60y after over 30y in the NHS. I enjoyed my job and the local hospital where I worked was small enough to be friendly. But my lifestyle is exactly what I hoped it would be. Lucky me. No health issues for either of us makes everything possible of course. We live half the year here in the UK and t’other half at our small apartment in Spain that we bought 17y ago.

Here we have our 2 grandchildren just up the road, family and friends. Just not the weather! I always said I didn’t want to be a ‘surrogate mum’ factored into regular childcare. I like being a grandma who is an extra pair of hands as and when.

Spain is wonderful because we have the weather and absolutely no calls on our time!

I feel we are blessed in so many ways.

I love being retired. It’s great not having to clock watch, no Sunday night dread etc. I also have a health condition that can have flare ups so when I do I don’t have to stress about taking time off.
I used to do classes at the gym, theatre trips, travel, lunches,coffees and meet up with friends.
I had health issues in 2019 and was about to get back to doing all those things again last year but we know what happened next. I’m slowly getting there.

Since our retirement three years ago two of our closest friends have been very ill that's been worrying. We have lived this covid nightmare as everyone has that seems never ending. Our beautiful daughter has suddenly become seriously ill our life is shattered. I am heartbroken I still visit Gransnet to distract me it's the only thing that seems normal to me.

I don’t enjoy retirement. I miss feeling needed in my job and using my expertise and experience. I thought I would have many lovely hours with DGS, but see little of them with school, etc. my health is failing and I think intractable boredom is part of it. Stay active as long as you can.

I love being retired. Time to do what I want, not being governed by the clock, no longer feel exhausted. Some adapting once DH retired too but we manage. Days out, hobbies, gardening, all keeps us occupied.

The only thing was I was working when my grandchildren were young and I had them at weekends often, with three active dogs an allotment and everything else, there was no rest.

Now not worked for three years, 65, and they are well into their teens, so I’m still busy but I can do things at my own pace- I no longer have to fit my DD babysitting in. It’s wonderful having all this time to do what I want

Can’t say that I’m enjoying retirement. I was divorced and brought up 3 children on very little money. I certainly didn’t have enough to put any by in a private pension and now am only just managing to pay for food and clothing and family birthdays and Christmas. My partner pays the bills, he pays if we go anywhere. Thing is he rarely wants to so we don’t.

I love being retired and am never bored. I used to be bored sometimes at work and was stressed and exhausted. There are so many things to do, it is true that I don't know how I had time to go to work!

Kate1949

I love every minute of it.

Same here Kate1949! Couldn’t possibly get up early and rush out of the house every morning for love or money!

The first four years we spent 6-8 months of the year in France, after that I was a bit lost, but I too started voluntary work. I’ve also overseen a total refurbishment of our kitchen and garden has been landscaped. MrJ still works, but he’s self employed, so we get days out, or in and breaks away.
Someone said earlier a decent pension helps, very true and I’m fortunate to still have my husband, toy boy that he is!

I love every minute of retirement, it's one of the best times of my life. I'm blessed with good health and lots of motivation and know how lucky I am.

I've plenty of hobbies and interests and every day is interesting, different from the day before be it the weather, the seasons, what's on the news, what I do and what I learn etc.

I do what I want in my own time, at my own pace and am busy when I need to be and relaxed when I want to be. I don't have a partner here and live on my own but life is busy and full. My family are around and not too far away at all...one family within walking distance...so I feel very lucky.

There is so much to see, places to go, things to do and learn in this life I don't see how anyone would be bored or unstimulated. So much out there.

I am medically retired and it took me about a month to process it and now yes most certainly.
You realise just how much you did do and your kinder to yourself I find.

I certainly don't miss working but my days are still pretty busy. Today I was riding at 09.30, at pilates for 12.15, then popped over to see my injured mare, had a very late lunch, did a bit of gardening which involved picking the last of the raspberries, took the dog for his afternoon walk and am now cooking supper. Tomorrow I have an afternoon art class (absolutely no talent but something I really wanted to try). My husband does his share of the household stuff (actually more than I do!) but I like to cook and we share the garden. My daughter works shifts so it great to be able to see her in the week if she's free. I worked until I was 65 and was until recently chair of governors of our local primary school, which tbh was quite stressful at times but kept the grey matter occupied. I like to be busy and I'm quite sociable but retirement has worked out well although I was quite worried about it.

Love retirement, felt as though I'd got my life back, although I did do the odd bit of supply teaching when asked; was nice being able to pick and choose and not have to do planning or preparation! Then DH retired and we enjoyed seven happy years together until he died. And I had to get used to a new way of life, but gradually learned to cope.

Found lockdown difficult though, wasn't fun being on my own. Things are improving now, and I am enjoying getting my activities back and socialising again.

I absolutely love it, have done from day one. It helped that a takeover had turned the job I loved into one I loathed, and suddenly I was free!

aonk The solution lies in your hands. Actively go and look for activities, occupations or volunteer work that you will enjoy. There are plenty of 'useful'jobs in the volunteer sector. I worked as a home visiting benefits advisor for a charity for the elderly for over 10 years, that may not be your bag, but something else might be.

You can make retirement enjoyable if you make the effort.

I’m not enjoying being retired. I take great pleasure in spending time with my GC but otherwise it’s all negative really. I don’t like housework or gardening and have no hobbies. I spend too much time watching tv. I have a wonderful DH but prefer for us not to be together all the time. It was good to do a useful job and be part of a team. Retirement is just part of growing older.,

Lasted 3 months then ex boss asked me to go back, but just 2 or 3 days a week which I still do,. Now I also look after my baby Grandson 1 day a week I try to get out of the house as much as possible, can't stand doing nothing.
Spending all week with no purpose drove me nuts, that was 6 years ago.
DH comments I'm never in.

The thing is as women do we ever truly retire?
Yes from paid work but for those of us who gave up work when we had our children, at this age nothing much has changed.

I’m not complaining, just stating that the housework, food shopping, cooking, laundry etc still has to be done.
My husband is semi retired and does help more now, and he’s always looked after the garden and, as Theresa May once said, all the ‘boy’ jobs !

Yes we have more time for days out, and we love having our baby grandson here once a week, but in all honesty I wouldn’t describe myself as retired ( apart from on official forms of course!)

Yes. I enjoy days out with OH. I love the freedom to choose how to spend each day. We still have plenty of involvement with the grandchildren and both have lots of hobbies.

I enjoy being retired. I like having the dogs shape my day, and as with ladyleftfieldlover, a wonderful but surprise grandchild shapes my week.
I've met new people, learnt new 'skills', and had time to reconnect with old hobbies.