Thats it I ate the cake !

[facetious]

253443

Thats it I ate the cake !

40 years 19 days. I started in79' did my apprentiship on large web printing presses at one paper and finished in a plant printing every bodys papers. Thy changed the name on my pay check three times but I kept the same locker. It's hard to think that I did the same job over and over and over......... for that long. Must be why thy had to keep repaveing the high way, thy were trying to fill the ruts I was wearing in to the road.

So lets hear some retirement story's. How long did it take to sink that it was over for good. A guy I worked with said it was two years before his dad stoped wakeing up thinking he was late for work. I have worked nights most of the time so I could sleep till I woke up. Now it will be trying to go to sleep before 2:00am and this getting up before 9:00am is just weird.

A writer for the WSJ asked readers to send in storys about the thing thy never expected when thy retired. For some thy found thy couldn't live with out the structure of the job , for others it was life events that took them in directions and to places thy never thought of.

So lets hear some storys.

[Wheelguns 1961]

Congratulations! I still have 1 1/2 yrs to go.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Congrats to you I'm going on 30 years 2 different names on my check same locker i hope that i can get 12 more years

[Finster101]

Six years to go for me. Too early to be counting, but I'm counting. Enjoy your time my friend.

[sonoransixgun]

Congrats! Enjoy that retirement...you deserve it. Must have been a decent outfit to work for...

[Isaac]

Congratulations! Enjoy the increased reloading and range time! :Fire:

[MrWolf]

Went out on a disability retirement about two years ago. I don't miss the bull involved with working but do miss being able to do things in general. If you have everything in order financially then retirement can be really nice. Good luck

[Parson]

78 and still working, but I don’t punch a time clock, hate those things, not sure how much longer I can last but like the old timer back home said “ this squirrel didn’t put enough nuts away”

[gordie]

i spend to much time at wally world & h. depot... you'll start to notice all the "old people" out there.
later you'll be so busy w/ life you'll wonder how did i get anything done & work.
let your mind relax.... dream, plan & set goals. your gonna love it.

[375supermag]

Hi...
I retired in July 2016.
Best decision I could have possibly have made.
Don't miss being in the work force one bit. Occassionally I miss some of the people I worked with but not enough to make the drive to my former employer and visit.

I spend a lot of time reloading and shooting with my son with a few hunting trips now and then.
I do a lot of reading...military history and paleontology.
I spend a lot of time raising two Labrador Retrievers. I like that job much more than I ever enjoyed working for a living.
I just turned 65 the beginning of November and am enjoying my retirement immensely.

Not exactly wealthy but I have enough disposable income to fund my interests. I do a gun shop tour a couple of times a month with my son, go to gun shows and gun auctions.

[daloper]

Congratulations. I will be done on March 9, 2020. Looking forward to spending more time at the range. Got to do something with my days.

[richhodg66]

I retired from the Army a few years ago. Had I been careful, having a payed for house at the time, I probably could have stopped working a real job then at age 46, but guys who do that tend to die young, so opted for another busy job.

That was almost eight years ago. I cannot sleep past the sun coming up no matter what is going on that day. I doubt I'll ever be able to. I'm just wired that way now.

I have found myself more and more lately really looking forward to retiring for good. I hear people talk about fighting boredom being a problem in retirement, but I really think I have enough little projects and activities right here to keep me happy for a very long time.

[lightman]

Congratulations on a well earned retirement! [smilie=l:

I retired in 2015 due to being diagnosed with MS. I hooked poles for an electric utility for 35 years. The other night a storm rolled through and I just rolled over, pulled up the covers a little more, said a prayer for those out working in it and went back to sleep! I miss the work and my customers but I quickly adjusted to retirement.

I got bored the first winter that I was retired. After hunting season closed I got cabin fever pretty bad. I learned to save up some stuff to do. I save most of my brass prep, casting and bullet sizing, some reloading, ect for the winter months now. The Wife and I usually take a short trip to someplace thats warmer. I started learning how to Duck hunt, Turkey hunt and Crappi fish.

We're also free to go watch the Grandkids participate in whatever form of sports that they may be involved in. I help a farmer friend a little in the spring and again at harvest time in the fall. I worked a lot of overtime. I averaged 600 hours a year but I had more than 1 year with 1000 hours. Its really good to be able to enjoy my family now.

And some afternoons I just sit in the shop door and drink a beer. Sometimes as many as 3 or 4 guys will stop by. When I walked out of the door after my retirement party the news on the tv was showing a tropical storm brewing. My Boss ask me what I thought about that. I replied, " thats not going to mess up anymore deer seasons for me".

[koehn,jim]

I retired in 2000 after 26 years at the same company. Develop as many outside hobbies as you can and stay active. I am not your age yet but will reach it soon, hope you have a long and active retirement, you earned it.

[bandsmoyer]

You'll soon wonder how you had time to work

[skeettx]

I retired in 2011 and I am now 71.

Financially, it will take two income tax returns to validate it is OK.

I took me over 6 months to pay back the sleep debt to my body,
and I now wake up without alarm about 06:30 unless I am going hunting/fishing.

Socially, find people to mix with.

Work/Time, I keep a Yahoo calendar and keep it full of church/shooting/hunting/fishing stuff
What fun.

Stay busy and enjoy, YOU EARNED IT !

[lefty o]

40 years on a web is a long time, congrats on surviving.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I retired in 2016. I have always had a lot of hobbies...since I was a kid and all through adulthood. Some of my hobbies brought in some income over the years. If you don't have hobbies, or 'enough hobbies' ...well you are here at CB, so you have at least one, be sure to keep an eye out looking for hobbies or projects.
BECAUSE, without a job, if you just sit around doing nothing, you'll go crazy...or at least get depressed.
We have all heard of the guy who dies 6 months after retirement...if your life is solely centered around your job, and you retire, life can quickly become meaningless.

I visit with my Mom a lot more, now that I am retired (she is 89). She worked a long full career. One thing she tells me, when I get a little depressed because I have sat around doing nothing for a few days in a row...is to make an effort and try to accomplish one thing each day, even if it is a small thing, that will pull you out of a lazy rut.

[dangitgriff]

Congrats on your well-deserved retirement.
A colleague and friend retired in the summer of 2016 after some 42 years working, he saw the company change names several times as well. One day, during an all-hands meeting about a year before he left, the site manager was presenting a 30-year anniversary award to another co-worker when Floyd abruptly stood up and yelled out, “30 years?! You call that a CAREER?!” [emoji1787][emoji23][emoji38][emoji16]
I only wish I knew how to properly manage my personal finances from the time I entered the work force, as I could have retired early. My wife and I are teaching our two teenage sons about the importance of managing their wealth as soon as they start working and bringing in a regular income.
Again, congrats and keep busy, I see a lot of good advice has already been proffered here.
R/Griff

[blackthorn]

I retired at age 65 in 2004. 6 months later I went back to work on contract for about 18 months. One week after the second retirement I got a call from the agency that provides assistance to workers in conflict with our provincial Worker's Compensation system. I did two short (4) month contracts with them and then the woman overseeing that program told me I needed to but a Blackberry. When I asked why she said she needed to be able to contact me and I told her I was in the office every day for the required hours of work. She said she might need to contact me on weekends and I said I did not work weekends. I finished that contract and was never offered another one! GOOD FOR ME! That was the last time I retired. I have helped a guy with his claim, doing appeals on his behalf a few times, but it is just for fun (no charge) and he got a raw deal from the get-go years ago. We have 1.8 acres, I have a 30x40 foot shop, it's all paid for and our pensions allow us to be financially comfortable. Retirement is GREAT!

[waksupi]

It took me a full year and a half to not feel guilty not heading out to the shop every day. Now I go out and work when I want to. I'm just starting to make furniture for a new rifle that I don't really need.

[super6]

I have 3 days left to do before retirement, That said I have so many feelings running through my head right now I cannot even explain what I am feeling right now. After nearly 50 years of making a living I will be lost. I do not know how long I will live seems to be the worst thing I have to think about. 401k half mill own 18 acres built house and maxed ss. I should be happy!!

[Cast_outlaw]

Congratulations on finishing paying your dues, hope you can reap the rewards of you hard work for years to come. Myself I have another 30 years to go, but thankfully I’m building a pension with my union now.

[Alstep]

I worked in the trades most of my life, carpentry, construction, truck driving, and the last 25 years as a machinist & steel fabrication. Worked past 70 and I'm worn out. I had all these projects to do after I retired, but I was just burned out. Took me a while to get motivated to do stuff. Slowed down a lot and takes me twice as long to do something that I just breezed through a few years ago. Got plenty to do here as I'm lucky to still have 50 acres of the farm I grew up on. So I can shoot to my hearts content right off my back porch. Have a lathe & mill & mig welder so can fix most anything within reason. Help friends & neighbors now & then when they need something. Never charge anything as they'll help me out if I need them. A little farm field work for my neighbor. Mow at a golf course where my son is the superintendent. Cast bullets & reload near the coal stove when it's cold and snowing. 78 now & count my blessings. Life is good.
Enjoy your retirement.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Lots of good stories and good advice here. I'll second the idea of finding something to keep busy, if not another part time job a good hobby. Some folks travel after retirement, and I guess that serves the purpose also.

It's important to remember that, given some luck, you've lived about 2/3 of your life with 1/3 left to go. Sadly, most folks health declines during the latter part of that remaining 1/3 limiting their activities and enjoyment, so you want to make the most of the remaining 2/3 of that 1/3, if you know what I mean. Do what you want to do. It's great to have a friend or two with whom you enjoy a regular get-together. They don't even have to be retired from the same profession-- that can make it even more enjoyable hearing about their life experiences. Ever notice the two or three guys sitting in McDonald's on any given morning drinking coffee and chatting? That's who they are.

Married? Try to spend more time with the wife, maybe help her out a little -- but be careful not to annoy her! :smile:

[AnthonyB]

I left the military in 2011 and worked as a contractor until May 17. I completely retired at that point and moved back to AL because my Dad had been diagnosed with cancer. He is doing well now, and I don't know how I was ever able to find the time to work. I can sleep past sunrise now, but still have dreams about missing formation.
Tony

[Winger Ed.]

Congrats. There's a adjustment period, but you'll be OK.

I retired in '06, that lasted 3 days. A really great job came to me, and I stayed there 11 years.
I'd still be there except the company hired in some salesmen and supervisors that couldn't run a lemonade stand.
You'd try to explain the facts of life to them, and it was like talking to a dog.

After about a year of trying to support people that wouldn't let you help them,
I gave them my 3 months notice, retired again in June 2017, and never looked back.

[popper]

Don't spend too much time in the pubs. Some adjustment but generally not bad. If you identity isn't what you did for a living, goes pretty fast. I took up casting.

[smoked turkey]

I was fortunate to work at the same location for almost 30 years. I retired early when the company was in a down sizing mood. I have been retired since June 1998 and I retired at age 52. I regularly say when asked how's retirement-"its the best job I've ever had". I see from the many replies that almost everyone has given the advice to stay active. I totally agree. I do lots of volunteer work, and the wife and I are very active in our local church which keeps us busy in the best sort of way. I was concerned about finances at first, but soon realized that we had been blessed beyond measure and we have made it without any problems. One of the things that bothered me when I first retired was trying to justify my time and wanting to give the impression that I was still getting things done. I don't feel that way anymore and you just need to know that you have earned the right to do as you wish how that you are retired. Don't worry, you will stay busy and the things you do are important regardless of whether they are big or small things. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

[Murphy]

After 35 years at the same job I turned in my keys this past July 31st. Everything was in place and the transition went smooth as silk. I turned 66 twelve days ago. My job had it's share of physical work, that kept me up and in decent shape. I spent the first 2 months just napping and staying indoors. My part of Oklahoma is a sheer misery during summer months if you're not a fan of summer, which I'm not.

About the end of the 3rd month, I noticed it didn't take much of a walk or physical work and the next day I'd have sore muscles. Nope, nothing medically wrong, just needed more exercise. It was that, or continue a downward spiral. And I ain't ready for that. So, I just got home from the gym (don't laugh) about 2 hours ago. Staying active is a must, I'm sure of it. I heard long, long ago from a couple of folks in their 90's "If you rest, you'll rust". They were right about that.

So, find whatever makes you happy (you've earned it my friend) and enjoy.

Murphy

[pcolapaddler]

Congrats!


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[samari46]

3.5 years in the navy working around the clock watches and another 30 working for a public utility again around the clock and finally couldn't stand the BS and called it quits. Burned out was more like it and retired in January '96. Frank

[john.k]

I quit for good when the company was sold ,and the new manager was more interested in having everything clean and tidy than running OK.He got fired shortly after cause when I quit the old foreman who was running the place quit too,mainly because he couldnt get "his" forklift fixed straight away.Without the foreman who knew everything ,the stuff ups snowballed ,profitability went negative,and the new owners got nervous.They got me back a couple of times to straighten stuff out,my job was being done by two young guys,who knew didly.......I shoulda gone to the auction when it closed down ,mobile cranes and forklifts went for peanuts....Bad mistake there.....I could have really done with a crane ,went for the price of a farm tractor.

[wildwilly]

I've been retired for seventeen years as of November. I could have gone two more years to reach mandatory (57)....glad I didn't. Most of my working life (including 4 yrs. USMC) has been shift work...seldom worked a normal 8-to-5 job & confined in an office. I loved my job (pilot/Border Patrol), but with the other guys retiring, or transferring out, it was easy to let go.
Been doing the same routine since the day after I pulled the pin....get up before sun-up, feed the pets, have coffee and cereal with my wife, watch Fox Business, and go ride our bikes for an hour, or two. It doesn't get better than that.

[facetious]

Wow I didn't think I would get so many responses so fast. I guess old guys have alot of time on their hands.

Ya I think it may take some time to sink in that that part of my life is over. I think the hardest part was/is convincing my self that the numbers are right. I just about wore the numbers off all the calculaters trying to figure it out. Every thing I came up with said it should work.

lefty o, you sound like you have spent some time on the big presses. When I started on web presses it was on HOE colormatics and GOSS metro's and then thy built a new plant and we got five GOSS colorliners , then in 2007 thy replaced them with Manroland Geo man presses. Fourty yards long and five floors high. If I saw a HOE now it it would look like a toy or some kind of hobby press or some thing that you mite see in a museum or some thing. But then in ten years thy all will be. Now matter how you cut it print newspaper is on its way out. But I have to say it was a wild ride.

I think it may be abit to get in to a new routine. for years my day didn't get going till 1:00pm and ended about 2:30 -3:00 am. So it's stuff like when to eat and getting used to the idea doing things before noon.And lunch at noon? I ate breakfast at noon. lunch if I got one was more like 10:00pm . Dinner at home was any were from 2:30 to 6:00 depending on what sifts i was working. I went to the store to day to get someting for dinner and walking around I was starting to realize how much of the stuff we ate was centered around work. I'm kind of doing the care giver thing with my wife so have done most of the shopping and cooking for a long time trying to fix things so I would have stuff left over for my lunch's and things she could eat without to much work to fix when I was at work.

There are alot of things I would like to do. There's alot of stuff around the house to do that has been put off and will need to get done. The wife wants to move to somewear with a lower altitude to see if it will help with her migains so there is that to look forword to. I hope I can get more into the reloading and shooting. I did alot in the 80's and 90's but taking care of my wife and then taking care of my mom for eight years with the Alzheimer's put a stop to alot of the shooting and reloading stuff. When I was able to start messing around with it again all the places I had to shoot were gone. I found a good range but it's a hour and a half away. But now with more time it should be easier to do stuff that takes all day. I found this site looking to learn about paper patching and got started but it got put aside. I want to get back to it. When things get settled I want to try Powder Coating.

I started to use the wifes tread mill. Starting with three miles a day and with four dog's to walk and all the other stuff to do will maybe help make up for not climbing up and down presses and pushing paper all night.

All I know is there is no going back. When I left home as a kid my dad told me that every one should have at least one great adventure and if you are lucky you will have two. He said a adventure is a trip were you don't know were you are going and you don't know what you will do when you get there , but you will know when you get there and you will figure out what to do. So ends a foury year adventure, and another begins, so hither forth we do go, adventure awaits.

[Handloader109]

I was retired about 5 years before I really wanted to. So started very small business. really more of new hobby, but keeps me here at home and gives us some income. I'll be 62 this next fall and I'll probably start my SS. Will give us more stable income and my calculations are it would take me to about 68 to catch up, (not including any of this amount going to savings) or if I wait till I'm 66, about 73 to catch that amount up. no. I'll take it early.

keep busy with something. get up and see the sun rise. I do almost every day. A great start to the day. I do sit around a bit, but I've got plenty to do. Just keep busy doing what YOU want to do.
and Enjoy your freedom

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[lightman]

I've been retired for seventeen years as of November. I could have gone two more years to reach mandatory (57)....glad I didn't. Most of my working life (including 4 yrs. USMC) has been shift work...seldom worked a normal 8-to-5 job & confined in an office. I loved my job (pilot/Border Patrol), but with the other guys retiring, or transferring out, it was easy to let go.
Been doing the same routine since the day after I pulled the pin....get up before sun-up, feed the pets, have coffee and cereal with my wife, watch Fox Business, and go ride our bikes for an hour, or two. It doesn't get better than that.

Just curious, what did you fly? A friend has a Scout that was used for that type of duty and it was fun to fly.

[lefty o]

Wow I didn't think I would get so many responses so fast. I guess old guys have alot of time on their hands.

Ya I think it may take some time to sink in that that part of my life is over. I think the hardest part was/is convincing my self that the numbers are right. I just about wore the numbers off all the calculaters trying to figure it out. Every thing I came up with said it should work.

lefty o, you sound like you have spent some time on the big presses. When I started on web presses it was on HOE colormatics and GOSS metro's and then thy built a new plant and we got five GOSS colorliners , then in 2007 thy replaced them with Manroland Geo man presses. Fourty yards long and five floors high. If I saw a HOE now it it would look like a toy or some kind of hobby press or some thing that you mite see in a museum or some thing. But then in ten years thy all will be. Now matter how you cut it print newspaper is on its way out. But I have to say it was a wild ride.

I think it may be abit to get in to a new routine. for years my day didn't get going till 1:00pm and ended about 2:30 -3:00 am. So it's stuff like when to eat and getting used to the idea doing things before noon.And lunch at noon? I ate breakfast at noon. lunch if I got one was more like 10:00pm . Dinner at home was any were from 2:30 to 6:00 depending on what sifts i was working. I went to the store to day to get someting for dinner and walking around I was starting to realize how much of the stuff we ate was centered around work. I'm kind of doing the care giver thing with my wife so have done most of the shopping and cooking for a long time trying to fix things so I would have stuff left over for my lunch's and things she could eat without to much work to fix when I was at work.

There are alot of things I would like to do. There's alot of stuff around the house to do that has been put off and will need to get done. The wife wants to move to somewear with a lower altitude to see if it will help with her migains so there is that to look forword to. I hope I can get more into the reloading and shooting. I did alot in the 80's and 90's but taking care of my wife and then taking care of my mom for eight years with the Alzheimer's put a stop to alot of the shooting and reloading stuff. When I was able to start messing around with it again all the places I had to shoot were gone. I found a good range but it's a hour and a half away. But now with more time it should be easier to do stuff that takes all day. I found this site looking to learn about paper patching and got started but it got put aside. I want to get back to it. When things get settled I want to try Powder Coating.

I started to use the wifes tread mill. Starting with three miles a day and with four dog's to walk and all the other stuff to do will maybe help make up for not climbing up and down presses and pushing paper all night.

All I know is there is no going back. When I left home as a kid my dad told me that every one should have at least one great adventure and if you are lucky you will have two. He said a adventure is a trip were you don't know were you are going and you don't know what you will do when you get there , but you will know when you get there and you will figure out what to do. So ends a foury year adventure, and another begins, so hither forth we do go, adventure awaits.

a little time on a web, but mostly was a sheet fed guy.

[Slugster]

I retired September of 2018 and it was the best thing I ever did. Worked several years when I was a kid, mostly throwing hay and working tobacco. That was some hard but good work. Went to work at a chemical company when I was 20. Worked there for 42 years, retired at 62. My advice to young folks is to start saving for retirement when you turn 18. Compound Interest works both ways, and it is better to collect than to pay out.
I was bumfuzzled for the last three months before retirement. Million things going through my mind. Insomnia, doubts, fear of the unknown.
When I retired, it was like coming out of a bad dream. I "took off" for the first month and kind of idled down to a much lower speed. My wife dragged me to Daytona for a week of loafing in the sun. Then the Smokie Mountains for a week. Then it was Gulf Shores for a week. This year we will probably go back to Florida for a week or two.

Over the years I collected many projects that I was going to "get to" when I retired. Have been working on some of them when I feel like it and am making headway on a few. I have a home shop in the basement/garage/reloading room with a vertical mill and two lathes, welders drill presses, and many, many hand tools.

I worked hard for most of my life and it just got to be somewhere between boring and terrorizing. The kids the company started hiring were the worst lot of workers I had ever seen. That makes sense because the management was also the worst I had seen. Workers constantly on their phones and not paying attention, management was no better.

The company sold five times while I worked there, but I never lost my job, for which I am thankful. I miss some of the friends that I made, but not enough to visit that place to see them.

I have 14 acres and a home that is paid for, a little piece of the family farm that my Mom left to me, vehicles, etc. I owe nothing to anyone except for property tax and insurance. A really good feeling, but I worked for every bit of it. I'm not trying to sound like a braggart, I'm trying to show that with hard work, patience, and goal setting, you WILL prosper and some day retire.

[Maineboy]

I retired July 1, 2014, the same day my wife did. I work during planting and harvest for my son-in-law who farms with his brothers and noticed a 14 hour day in the field feels much shorter than the 8 hour day I put in before retiring. I must say that my stress level is lower now and my blood pressure is much better than when I was working. I could do more on the farm if I wanted as they are always short of help, but then I wouldn't be retired. We live on a lake and in the woods with not too many people around for most of the year which suites me fine. If there is a down side, it's that two of our three kids and four of our six grandchildren live several hundred miles away. I'll be 70 my next birthday and feel like I'm living the life.

[GL49]

My brother owned his own logging outfit, retired at 65, then went back to work because he was going nuts just sitting around the house.
Soon, the jobs he accepted were fewer and fewer: ground too steep, timber too small, timber too big, too much poison oak, too muddy, too dry, you're taking too much out, you need to take more of the junk out..... it took about four years before he tapered off to doing almost nothing.

Next spring we'll take out the dead and dying trees on 240 acres we own, that's when I'm going to try to quit.

His advice to me? "You'll get bored with hunting, fishing, camping, and all the other fun things you thought you'd like when you retired. Find something to take the place of work....building a cabin, restoring an old car, cutting firewood for those that need it, run your yard tractor for the neighbors, fill in part time at your old job, go plant trees on our land......"
"Pretty soon, you'll find you don't have time for everything that takes the place of work, and the fun things are fun again, when you learn that you can do exactly what you want to do, and it doesn't really matter if you accomplish something "useful" every single day."
"The biggest thing? You know you can always go back to work, if you really want to."

At 70 years old, the sixty and seventy hour weeks plus one night a week teaching at the local community college, just isn't as much fun as it used to be. I've been trying to convince myself for a couple of years I need to retire, but don't know if I'd get bored if I couldn't go to work. I think I'll go up on our property and grow big trees, just like the one in the photo that's on our land.

[fn1889m]

Retiring in about 3 months. I have my own business, but it takes about a year to close it down. Started a year ago to turn away clients. I will be 66 in three months, and have applied for SS.

I am just starting to learn to cast bullets. But mostly, I want to spend the next few years hiking, backpacking, fly fishing, and biking (self propelled) while I still can do it. I watched time run out for my father, and do not want to wait to do the outdoor things while I still can. Life is short. And have a USFS trail to restore. In the last 40 years it has gone downhill, becoming a ghetto trail with garbage and blow downs. Lots to do. Some selfish, some not.

Take care out there. Be safe. Make the moments count.


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[wildwilly]

Just curious, what did you fly? A friend has a Scout that was used for that type of duty and it was fun to fly.

We had an assortment...Super Cubs, Christian Huskies, C-182s & 207s, OH-6 Cayuses. I really loved the Cub...4-5 hrs. air time, land/take-off from almost anywhere. Bellanca Scout...beautiful plane

[Thumbcocker]

Not that I'm counting....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191225/7eaeb69d5aefcf37fa7a0cc05e1b95a3.jpg

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[lightman]

We had an assortment...Super Cubs, Christian Huskies, C-182s & 207s, OH-6 Cayuses. I really loved the Cub...4-5 hrs. air time, land/take-off from almost anywhere. Bellanca Scout...beautiful plane

Thanks for the reply. I've only flown a couple of those planes, a 182, a Cub and a Super Cub. I owned a Champ at one time. It sounds like a fun job. I'm just a Private Pilot and only dreamed of flying for a living.

[myg30]

My wife and I are counting the day now. In about a year between thanksgiving and Christmas we will both retire a little early at 62.5 & 64 yrs old. Health insurance is going to be the main factor for us since we both young for Medicare.
With the help of God, next year this time I’ll be 5 yrs cancer free and insurance should not be to costly.
We want to down size some, put the money toward our new home and maybe a boat to enjoy lake time here in middle Tennessee near Smithville area. Nashville is growing way to fast, farms are disappearing as fast as they can develope a sub division. We want to get away from that new crowd moving in.
To the OP and all the others that posted here, God Bless you all, enjoy your retirement and make the best of it as you can because time goes by faster every year as we age. Find things to do, take a long walk. Drive to some park if nessary and get out and enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air while you can.
You don’t ever want to say to yourself...., I should have done that when I was able to !!!!

Mike

[facetious]

Not that I'm counting....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20191225/7eaeb69d5aefcf37fa7a0cc05e1b95a3.jpg

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When I had my party at work some one asked how long I had been there, I told them 40 years 19 day's. Then some one asked how long I had been planing to retire , I told them 40 years 18 day's. :-P

[super6]

I have a mooney M20C to restore. And time. Yes! N69zz

[bob208]

I have been out for 8 years now. every day is Saturday.

[jonp]

Congrats on retirement. Everyone I know that's retired is busier than they were when they were a working stiff.

Believe it or not I was on my way to retiring at 50 but a few bad decisions helped along by the fairer sex put that out of reach. Right now I am under 5 yrs and counting to part-time then full time a couple of years after that.
4,000,000 miles behind the wheel and 70hr weeks is about enough for me i think.

[john.k]

I ve never been bored,but I dont seem to get much done either.....Was mentioning to the brother that the last 10 years seem to have gone quick, he said the same.and he s still working.....Greatest time waster would have to be internet forums.

[facetious]

Went down to the old shop to pickup my last chack. My old forman asked what I was doing there. I told him I came down to see if it was true. He asked if what was true. I said that all the old guys had been telling me about how good it feels to watch your old boss turn into a taxable asset working to keep your pension funded and working away to help support Social Security. Then he told me I was a _______ . I gave him a big smile and said thy were right that did feel good. :D

254044

[6bg6ga]

I retired May 18,2018 at 65 years old. The very latest I can sleep is 5:00AM and can't get over that. It was good for a few months and now I'm thinking about finding a job and going back to work again. Somehow I just can't get used to being at home and not working. I do try to keep myself busy with some of my projects but for me its hard to get used to. I never took a vacation and went anywhere the wife and I mainly stayed home with the dogs.

Anyway congrats on your well deserved retirement.

[redhawk0]

Congrats on the retirement...I'm almost there. I've been working with a financial planner to get things ready for 2025. I've worked with the same people through 6 different name chances (spin-off, startup, acquisitions...etc)...Been doing the same job for almost 35 years now. I love what I do...but it requires travel. I hate being away from home anymore. It's time to retire and "settle down" so to speak....The wife seems pretty happy with the thought of me being home more....I guess that's a plus :smile:

redhawk

[robg]

34 years in this job ,can retire in may .can't wait ,have some part time work lined up at my local range/shop so I'm very happy to retire.

[jonp]

Went back over my numbers and budget. Seems like I could retire and work part time in 2yrs or so at 59 then stop at 62 if I want. We would have to budget but we don't have a big lifestyle anyways and the plan is to live at my hunting camp in the summer and a travel trailer or small cabin down south in the winter. I wasn't aware I was that close.
I'm looking forward to the day when I work because I want something to do and not because I have some bills to pay.

[Hickory]

I retired early, because I could and because I was suffering from the 'Popeye Syndrome,' it all I could stand and I couldn't stand no more!
It was a great relief for my mind and body.
I have adapted so well and am so relaxed that my wife believes me to be lazy.

[sav300]

14 years retired on the 8th jan. Started on the new south wales govenment railways on the 16 june 1962 and retired at the age of 59.

[facetious]

Maybe there is hope for me yet. I't been amost three weeks, haven't even came close to getting started on all the things I need to do. I did start going through my reloading stuff, alot of things I started but had to mothball. I'm running low on boolits for my .308 and loaded up the last of my 358156's so need to do some casting. Haven't did any for a long time,life kind of got in the way of having a good time. I spent a day just cleaning out the shed and seeing what I had for lead. I got out the old Colman stove and the old fring pan and started melting all the odd pieces of soft lead that I had accumulated , needed a bigger pan so tryed a duch oven I found some time back. I can tell you that it did work but was on the edge. I did end up with 35lb's of soft muffins. But I am going to get a turky frier burner befor trying to cook down the range scrap I have collected, If I put it all in one bucket it would be 1 1/2 5gal. buckets. I found that I still have 75lb's of old WW in 5 lb. ingots. Maybe 15 to 20lb's of Stereotype and about 10lb's of pewter that I have collected and a mix that I made up in the late 90's or early 2000's of WW, 5lb's of stereotype and a lb. of tin to make a 100lb. batch. I tured most of it into boolits for my .308 about 20lb's and about 60lb's of 150gr. LBT OWC's about 45lb's. left. There is still 17lb's in 1lb. ingots. It is pretty hard but shot OK. May have to ask for some help on the lead forum on just what I have and how to soften it up so it's not so brittle for my .308. The range scrap will be for hand gun stuff. May try and mix up some 50/2/50 for paper patching my .308. Some where in there I need to get started on the stuff I have to get done too. Oh well I guess you can't have fun all the time.

[fcvan]

I retired at the end of 2011 after 28 years in Law Enforcement. I didn't want to because I planned on doing my full 30. I had a year of time on the books they wouldn't let me take, but my youngest was graduating in CO and I needed to be there, and my oldest was bed-rested for 5 months with her second child out in CA. They paid me for the year on the books.

I retired as a lieutenant but after 18 months they were several hundred officers short due to retirements. I went back as an annuitant officer and worked 10 shifts a month. That gave me plenty of gas money to travel to Southern CA to see my parents, and Northern CA to see my older daughters and their families (my brother too) and then back to CO to see the wife and youngest daughter.

My youngest daughter Moved out about six months later and my wife asked if I was going back to get my last 2 years. I ran the numbers by her which increased my final retirement by 16% roughly. A few months later a lieutenant's position opened up and I asked about permissive reinstatement. The response was 'welcome back.' With the time I had in I was #1 in seniority and since I was living/working back in CA I just worked a ton of overtime. I paid off a lot of bills (medical, dental, college tuition for kids) and really chewed away at my mortgages.

2 years became 3 1/2, and I was still working. I loved what I did until I didn't anymore. It seems when all the people you worked for and respected retire, and were replaced by people just holding on until 'they were in charge' the environment can drastically deteriorate. The new managers did not like that when they tried to do something, and were confronted with regulations, laws, and statutes, they felt they had to 'show me who was boss.' Clearly I overstayed my welcome.

I was going to stick it out to the end of the year, which was 3 months hence. I talked with SWMBO and asked 'when can I retire?' She said 'why not today?' I went to work that night, graveyard shift by choice and spent 8 hours thinking 'why not today?' They were short a lieutenant on day shift so I spent another 8 hours thinking 'why not today?'

I went home and went to bed. When I woke up I grabbed my phone and called in 'cover my shift, I'm calling in retired.' I slept soundly. I received a call from my captain the next morning, 'Frank, I hear a rumor.' I told him 'no rumor boss, I'm done.' I explained that I had already filled out and filed my paperwork online, I just needed to turn in one report and fill out my medical docs with personnel. He said he would cover me for the rest of the week and turn in my paperwork and gear on Monday.

I enjoyed doing what I did, which was mostly training the new guys, we had hired hundreds. All the while I was working those 3 years, I was reloading like a fiend, casting and reloading over 15K empties. My wife is a shooter but she always picks up brass before we shoot averaging 1000 pieces of mostly 9MM each trip. I haven't cast since I thought I had loaded everything. The other day I found a coffee can of 45 ACP and another of 38 SP, all cleaned and sized, ready to go. All in due time.

I took to teaching a friend's grandson how to play guitar, and give lessons once a week. It doesn't hurt that my friend of 30 years have been hunting/fishing/reloading buddies for decades and I get to visit my friend. I haven't shot much since retirement only enough to stay proficient. I had to take all the 'black and fun' guns out of CA, mostly my favorites, an AR 15 pistol and carbine, both in 9MM. Cheap to shoot and after all, the wife did pick up all that brass. We also have drop in barrels for 9MM to use in the Glocks in 40 S&W. Yes, her ARs and Glocks are sequential serial numbers to mine as my wife digs that. Let's just say whenever I want a new gun it has to be in pairs. The only guns that are not in pairs are three rifles in 308W and a single shot 223 REM. She asked me if she had a 'deer gun' and I told her 'not yet babe.' Technically, the 308s are hers.

I don't think she likes the 223 particularly but we shall see. I worked up a cast load for the 223 with an NOE 62 GR Plain Base for ASBB PC that is giving me great accuracy and 2450 FPS. Right now I have plenty of that loaded up, and a good supply of cast and coated ready to go.

The real job of retirement is Grandpa. They are 9, 7, 3 1/3, 2 months, and twin boys due in June. Well, my first job is husband/Father/Friend as it says on a custom coffee cup my wife had made for me for Christmas. It has pictures of all the kids, their spouses, and the grandkids. I still split my time between CO, SO CA to see my folks, and NO CA to see my brother, daughters, and their families. I still have to keep the house up on both ends and I have to tell you the snow isn't as hard on the house in CO as the rain on the coast near the CA/OR border.

Retirement IS all it is cracked up to be. I used to joke about having enjoyed retirement so much that I will do it again! Those who were counting the days accused me of rubbing it in. I have to mildly disagree with a previous post who said 'every day is Saturday when you are retired.' Every day of retirement is like Monday of the first day of a long vacation. Saturdays were always yard work and vehicle maintenance.

Life is good, and to my friends I used to work with who are sadly still working, and to those who have also retired, I am grateful. These folks would have been friends even if we never worked together, and we stay in touch.

[Wild Bill 7]

I started with Publix Supermarkets in 1969 and worked until 1998. Retired for four years and went back to work cause our insurance jumped to $900 a month. Started back in 2002 and figured I would work a little while longer, but 18 years later(my how time flies when you're having fun) I'm still working. So now I have a new goal to have a total of 50 years with one company. I am turning 73 real soon but I still have good health and hope the Lord will allow to finish this goal.

[kmw1954]

Been retired on disability since Feb. 2015.. At the time I was working for a staffing service and was near the end of my contract period and thee manager called me in one morning at the end of my shift to tell me they were not going to renew the contract or permanently hire me. That business had slowed and the also just lost a contract so they were terminating me. I new that was all BS because they had just done a direct hire for a young guy for the same position.

Anyways after packing my tools and turning in the company tools and keys the manager and I were walking to my truck and I then hit him with the news that I just received the letter from SSI that my disability had been approved and that I was going to quit at the end of the week anyways. He also quit talking.

That was the second time that year I had been treated that way by a company while working for that staffing service. I knew the real reason was work performance and that I struggled with mobility. It just really tee'd me off that they couldn't/wouldn't be honest with me.