# Are You Flunking Retirement?



## Meanderer (May 12, 2018)

I am Flunking Retirement!  by Lois Bushong


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## SeaBreeze (May 12, 2018)

I must be passing with flying colors, I never feared or was overwhelmed and confused on what I should do with my days after retirement.  I worked and saved toward that day, looked forward to it, and breathed a sigh of relief when I finally made it there...early retirement.  I had no debts and saved what I thought would get me through to my last day, still live within my means like I always did.  In retirement I'm enjoying my life, doing what I want and when I want, and enjoying nature, something I had very little time to do during my working years, hard to do punching a clock and spending most of your days inside a building working for someone else to earn a paycheck.


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## Meanderer (May 12, 2018)

I''m with you, SB!  When I started working, I wasn't prepared and was not sure of what lay ahead.  Forty years later, before I knew it I was anticipating retirement.  Like all of life, my plans, as they were, lay in place, and we were trusting God to lead and guide us to the next adventure.  Life has been good to us.


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## Aunt Bea (May 12, 2018)

SeaBreeze said:


> I must be passing with flying colors, I never feared or was overwhelmed and confused on what I should do with my days after retirement. I worked and saved toward that day, looked forward to it, and breathed a sigh of relief when I finally made it there...early retirement. I had no debts and saved what I thought would get me through to my last day, still live within my means like I always did. In retirement I'm enjoying my life, doing what I want and when I want, and enjoying nature, something I had very little time to do during my working years, hard to do punching a clock and spending most of your days inside a building working for someone else to earn a paycheck.



Me too!

Not much has changed since I was made redundant and started living life in the slow lane.

My quiet little life is good.


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## NancyNGA (May 12, 2018)

There is almost no change for me, except different tasks to do.  In case I ever miss my old colleagues at work, I can always log in here now.


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## C'est Moi (May 12, 2018)

Heck no; I excel at doing nothing.       Like SeaBreeze, I retired early and took to it like a fish to water.


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## Camper6 (May 12, 2018)

I flunked retirement.

It's a boring existence unless you have as much money coming in as you used to have to do the things you always did.

I had to quit golf.  Too expensive.

My friend says."Nothing to do and all day to do it in".


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## jujube (May 12, 2018)

Unlike my school years, I'm making straight A's in retirement.  If there was a dean's list for retirees, I'd be on it.  

I do what I want and I don't do what I don't want.....what more could you ask?


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## Lethe200 (May 12, 2018)

We love retirement. 10 yrs now and still having fun. As my spouse likes to say, "Retirement is great - I should have done it 30 yrs ago!" - LOL.


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## Keesha (May 12, 2018)

I’m rockin’ retirement. It was an easy transition for me as I was self employed so got to choose the ‘when’ and ‘how,’ which I loved. My husband isn’t retired yet which might be why I’m having such a good time. Haha. I tease him about it all the time. 

He still has 5 years to go but I have to give  him most of the credit for our great retirement plans. He’s been planning retirement since the day I met him almost 30 years ago. I have much to be grateful for.


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## Meanderer (May 12, 2018)




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## moviequeen1 (May 12, 2018)

I love being retired,7 yrs already,don't know where the time has gone.
I like having my own schedule, more time to do the things I truly enjoy doing:, my volunteer work,reading my books,going to the movies,walking a friend's dog. Sue


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## OneEyedDiva (May 12, 2018)

meanderer said:


>



lol!


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## OneEyedDiva (May 12, 2018)

I was too happy to be retired to flunk. I do admit however, that I had separation anxiety and visited my office a couple of times a month for a few months. I had an "excuse" though...I sold handmade soaps and candles and had customers there. But really, I missed my work family. I also was very busy for several years taking care of my mom's needs as well as my own while still adjusting to "wife-hood". My husband and mother used to say I was busier in retirement than I was when I was working.  After my mom passed, it still took me a couple of years to slow down. Somewhere in there I managed to compose and record an album. It's been 20 years since I retired and I'm still loving it.


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## Getyoung (May 14, 2018)

Straight A's, love it, my own schedule, no mind numbing meetings, it is truly wonderful.


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## Meanderer (May 15, 2018)

Getyoung said:


> Straight A's, love it, my own schedule, no mind numbing meetings, it is truly wonderful.


Good for you, getyoung, and welcome to Senior Forums!


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## Meanderer (May 15, 2018)




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## ClassicRockr (May 15, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> I flunked retirement.
> 
> It's a boring existence unless you have as much money coming in as you used to have to do the things you always did.
> 
> ...



We still golf, but all of our golfing has been and still is done on our Wii Game in our living room. ​
​


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## CarolfromTX (May 15, 2018)

There is no grading system in retirement. I'm a retired teacher. There are no incorrect answers. Seriously, why stress over "flunking" retirement. It's just silly.


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## GeorgiaXplant (May 15, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> My friend says."Nothing to do and all day to do it in".



Nowhere to go and plenty of time to get there! Been saying it for years. It's my signature line.

Actually, I flunked four times. I'm acing #5.


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## C'est Moi (May 15, 2018)

CarolfromTX said:


> There is no grading system in retirement. I'm a retired teacher. There are no incorrect answers. Seriously, why stress over "flunking" retirement. It's just silly.



No one is stressing.   This thread was created in fun... so yeah, it's silly.


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## Meanderer (May 15, 2018)




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## Meanderer (May 16, 2018)

CarolfromTX said:


> There is no grading system in retirement. I'm a retired teacher. There are no incorrect answers. Seriously, why stress over "flunking" retirement. It's just silly.



Carol, the title of the thread is from the original article linked in the first post.  It was her statement, turned into a question.
I am Flunking Retirement by LOIS BUSHONG


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## Lara (May 16, 2018)

Flunking must be a good thing. If what I'm doing in my retirement is called "flunking" then I want to flunk everyday...morning, noon, and night. 

It's fun! When I wake up I only do the fun things I want to do...and throw in a few responsible things that add joy when completed. Unless I have a deadline, I don't worry about the responsible stuff that didn't get done because there's always more time tomorrow.


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## NancyNGA (May 16, 2018)




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## ronaldj (May 16, 2018)

*I am going to say I amgetting an F in retirement, fantastic, fun filled future, frisking, frolicking,*


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## ray188 (May 17, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> I flunked retirement.
> 
> It's a boring existence unless you have as much money coming in as you used to have to do the things you always did.
> 
> ...



*If your community has a senior center you will find many people there in similar circumstances and, quite possibly, similar interests. Also, such places open the door to new ideas that you may not have thought of. I had a similar situation years ago and heard some folks strumming  away on guitars, mandolins, etc. and singing bluegrass. I am enjoying it to this day.*


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## Camper6 (May 17, 2018)

I want to get away from people in my retirement. They were the cause of all my stress. A senior citizen outlet is not the place for me.


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## C'est Moi (May 17, 2018)

Camper6 said:


> I want to get away from people in my retirement. They were the cause of all my stress. A senior citizen outlet is not the place for me.



And yet, here you are.   nthego:


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## KingsX (May 17, 2018)

SeaBreeze said:


> I must be passing with flying colors, I never feared or was overwhelmed and confused on what I should do with my days after retirement.  I worked and saved toward that day, looked forward to it, and breathed a sigh of relief when I finally made it there...early retirement.  I had no debts and saved what I thought would get me through to my last day, still live within my means like I always did.  In retirement I'm enjoying my life, doing what I want and when I want, and enjoying nature, something I had very little time to do during my working years, hard to do punching a clock and spending most of your days inside a building working for someone else to earn a paycheck.




Great post !

I've had the same wonderful early retirement...  11 years and counting...  "enjoying my life, doing what I want and when I want."

We are blessed 

.


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## fmdog44 (May 17, 2018)

The song says. "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to do."

-_Bobby McGee  _by Janis Joplin


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## Camper6 (May 17, 2018)

C'est Moi said:


> And yet, here you are.   nthego:



With anonymous posters who don't even have my phone number.


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## john19485 (May 17, 2018)

I retired on disability at age 32, always hated it, everydays seems the same now, did the RV thing, been all over the U.S. up in Canada, Lived up at Bear Lake for 17 years, so I did the fish thing ( went fishing everyday) Go up and have coffee with my coffee shop friends (fair weather friends) already did the volunteer thing( got burned) I have people stop by mostly Veterans, and some active duty people, wife tells me I've done more than most people, sure don't seem like it , even on a movie set you do your thing and five minutes later its over


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## C'est Moi (May 17, 2018)

fmdog44 said:


> The song says. "Freedom's just *another word for nothin' left to do*."
> 
> -_Bobby McGee  _by Janis Joplin



Actually, it says  "...another word for nothing left to LOSE."   nthego:


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## NewRetire18 (May 18, 2018)

I am totally flunking retirement. 

I haven't been able to have one day off from working on some 'need' since I left my job late last year. I fall into bed exhausted at some extremely late time (8:00pm), and have to get up when I wake (4:00am), and start the next day with trying to finish all my chores. I can hardly wait until I have them all accomplished, so I can slow down...and start planning retirement.


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## Meanderer (May 18, 2018)

NewRetire18 said:


> I am totally flunking retirement.
> 
> I haven't been able to have one day off from working on some 'need' since I left my job late last year. I fall into bed exhausted at some extremely late time (8:00pm), and have to get up when I wake (4:00am), and start the next day with trying to finish all my chores. I can hardly wait until I have them all accomplished, so I can slow down...and start planning retirement.



Welcome to the forums, NR18!  There is a vacuum that is created when we retire.  If we're not careful, it will be filled by others.  I'm  guessing that you are not bored like some are.  Be sure to pencil yourself in when filling the calendar.nthego:


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## applecruncher (May 18, 2018)

No.


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## ray188 (May 18, 2018)

fmdog44 said:


> The song says. "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to do."
> 
> -_Bobby McGee  _by Janis Joplin[/QUOTE
> 
> *My bride and I will be heading for Aston Gardens towards the end of the year....or was that just an ad that seemed to be part of your post?*


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## KingsX (May 18, 2018)

.

I retired early at age 55 and took early SS at age 62 and very thankful that I did.

Before I took early SS,  I read all the "expert" opinions the vast majority of whom
warned against taking early SS... and even recommended delaying it to age 70.

Knowing my personal situation - finances, lifestyle, family history of longevity
and my "break even age" -  I went against popular "expert" opinion and took 
SS early at age 62.  It has worked out very well for me.

Here's my "conspiracy theory"... sometimes I wonder if somehow the
government is behind a lot of that popular "expert" opinion that advises
baby boomers to delay taking SS.

.


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## Lara (May 18, 2018)

KingsX said:


> ....Here's my "conspiracy theory"... sometimes I wonder if somehow the
> government is behind a lot of that popular "expert" opinion that advises
> baby boomers to delay taking SS.


Hmmm, yes, I wonder. I took mine early too and am coming out ahead.


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## Meanderer (May 19, 2018)

....Now What?


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## KingsX (May 19, 2018)

.

" Flunking retirement " ???

I didn't realize someone had invented a "test" to generically "judge" the success of retirement.

I thought the whole purpose of retirement was to "do your own thing"... not fall in line with popular expectation.

.


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## Meanderer (May 19, 2018)

*Are You "Flunking" Retirement?*



KingsX said:


> .
> 
> " Flunking retirement " ???
> 
> ...


KingsX, the title of the thread is from the original article linked in the first post. It was her statement, turned into a question.
I am Flunking Retirement by LOIS BUSHONG  It is meant to be a thought provoking question, that allows each of us to share how "doing our own thing" worked out for us. No judging, here.


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## Meanderer (May 20, 2018)




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## teacherterry (May 20, 2018)

I am semi-retired and enjoying it.  I teach an online college class.  We are doing a lot of traveling while we are both healthy. This summer we are taking a 6 week driving trip for 5k/miles to visit family/friends and see the sights.  Taking our 3 doggies with us.


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## Packerjohn (May 30, 2018)

I have been retired for about 18 years now & enjoy each & every day.  Over those 18 years I got divorced, remarried again to a wonderful woman, traveled to many countries, spent some winters in Texas & Mexico, moved to a small town, built a cottage & lived there for 11 years, moved to another town & now we lived in a nice apartment which has a social room, exercise room & there is a park nearby for daily walks.  I exercise 6 days/week, play the guitar, enjoy reading & visits to the library.  I even enjoy the old westerns like "Gunsmoke" & "Death Valley Days".  Life could be better but not much.


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## Macfan (May 30, 2018)

The only thing that keeps it from being absolutely perfect are the infernal doctors appointments and anything associated with them. Small price to pay for having made it though (to retirement). 7 years now and couldn't be more thrilled. Looking forward to the wife retiring and no longer having to set the infernal alarm clock. The only reason she hasn't pulled the plug yet is healthcare, I'm on medicare but she's still a year from it . There's no way I could flunk retirement, we were made for each other .


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## RadishRose (May 30, 2018)

You both obviously did everything right. You deserve to enjoy yourselves!


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## bingo (May 30, 2018)

absolutely luvin no work


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## Meanderer (Jun 16, 2018)

Sherlock....retired!


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## Keesha (Jun 16, 2018)




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## Meanderer (Jun 16, 2018)

Retired Super Heroes


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## DaveA (Jun 16, 2018)

Looks like my kinda' guy.  Is that BK or MacDonalds?  I'm a BK guy myself.


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## oldmontana (Jun 17, 2018)

It did not take long for us (wife and I had a business) to enjoy retirement.  

We do miss talking daily to our employees, customers and the many salesman that called on us. We do keep in touch with many of them.


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## Falcon (Jun 17, 2018)

Flunking  retirement ?   R U  kidding ?    I'm getting better grades than I EVER  got before.


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## Meanderer (Jun 17, 2018)




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## Firefly (Jun 24, 2018)

OneEyedDiva said:


> I was too happy to be retired to flunk. I do admit however, that I had separation anxiety and visited my office a couple of times a month for a few months. I had an "excuse" though...I sold handmade soaps and candles and had customers there. But really, I missed my work family. I also was very busy for several years taking care of my mom's needs as well as my own while still adjusting to "wife-hood". My husband and mother used to say I was busier in retirement than I was when I was working.  After my mom passed, it still took me a couple of years to slow down. Somewhere in there I managed to compose and record an album. It's been 20 years since I retired and I'm still loving it.



where to find your album?


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## Macfan (Jun 24, 2018)

There are few things in life that give me goose bumps. Marrying my wife of 46 years (so far), the arrival of our 3 children ('73, '75, '78), recently purchasing my new super-go-daddy iMac Pro computer, and RETIRING are just a few that have done it for me. I couldn't flunk retirement if I tried, not that I would want to. I walked away on May 27, 2011 and haven't looked or gone back since. I thank heaven everyday that I've been blessed to have lived long enough to experience a small slice of heaven here on earth (retirement)! To those having a negative experience with retirement I would say, let go of what was and embrace what is. Redefine yourself, develop a new routine, sense of purpose. You can do it . Don't see it as having nothing to do, see it as being free to do anything . Don...


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## Vinny (Jul 20, 2018)

I love it. I have been working since I was 14, every year. I retired two weeks ago at the age of 67. What I notice the most is that my mind is free of all thoughts of work and work related matters. What did I do last week and was it the right choice, what happened today and what needs go be done about it. Projects to do for the coming months. What if we lose our largest customer, should I fire an employee who is doing half the work of others in her department. Stuff like that used to keep me from falling asleep or enjoying a movie. 

Now when I lay my head down to sleep, my mind is clear. All I have is one doctor appointment for the rest of this year and it is just check on how some new Medications are working. Not even a physical. Other than that I am finding having a clear mind interesting. My mind used to have a lot of chatter going on and now I can focus on only one thing. I am helping more around the house and socializing more. I still have no plan since I am just enjoying having no obligations or things to do. I have traveled to over 20 countries and 26 States, sometimes not remembering what country I was in. Then going back home and needing 3 days of little sleep go adjust go the new time zone and needing pills to put me asleep and keep me awake.

Now I sleep for 10 hours if I want to. I can go to bed anytime I want to. No worries. Health is good and at 67 I still do not have white hair on my head or any wrinkles. So far not bored. All of my hobbies are solo and since my wife and I have moved 13 times we are used to doing things together with very few friends. I do not like to join anything as I see that as an obligation run by a clique of friends. I want to do what I want to do, when I want to and not have to compromise as is often required in any social group. I do enjoy my own company as I have many things to do that do not require others. I go out with my wife a few times a week and we socialize with three other couples a few times a month and life is good.

As someone told me, retirement is like hitting the lottery assuming you prepared for it and we spent the last 8 years preparing. I have always felt go enjoy today and let tomorrow take cafe of itself. The other thing I learned in life is that something is not a problem if money can fix it. :_


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## dkay (Jul 29, 2018)

I retired in November and so far I have loved it. Most of my family lives in another state. It's nice not to have to worry about a limited number of vacation days. I can be gone as long as I want without worrying about returning to work. I've never really had a vacation-work, work, work. Even on my days off I'd get called in. So, since my retirement I've been able to go to my oldest granddaughters college graduation and then her wedding in February.

 Then I took my youngest (age 17) granddaughter and we just spent a couple of weeks together exploring things where I live.  We just took off and explored all kinds of small towns where we saw things like the biggest ball of twine, the worlds biggest czech egg, the worlds biggest souvenir plate, the worlds biggest art toilet bowl complete with giant sculpted roll of toilet paper. We explored canyons and rocks. Took pictures of prairie dogs. Got chewed on by a huge swarm of horse flies.  I got caught in a small town speed trap and got my first ever ticket (of course she took a picture of the flashing lights in the rear view mirror). 

I took her to the Evel Knievel museum (she had no idea who that was but she does now). She taught me many things about my smart phone, taught me about no rinse hair conditioner, I watched as she checked out all the single young men, she taught me about hairstyles. We didn't go to all the expensive touristy places. The most expensive thing was the ticket (which I have put in a keepsake album). lol It was the best two weeks I've spent in a very long time. Now I have about 20 books that I never had time to read before, a box of craft projects I never had time to finish, old friends to visit who have also recently retired and who now have the time too. I love it.


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