Coming out of retirement?

[white eagle]

The comfort of my easy chair, no schedule, no time restraints, gloriously a supporting wife (my Paradise on Earth), the ability to dodge the rain in any given week planting food plots for wildlife on private hunting land, working on tree stand improvements, particularly after ripping the wooden ladder off of one while making a turn with the harrow sticking out behind the tractor (dooph!), sowing seed, riding the golf cart around the fields, smiling over a finished job - well done, seeing the seed germinate "overnight", and back again to the first five words above - keep me on the retirement sideline. Hunting season looms large. Being able to fully enjoy every bit of it, now that it is FREE (aged out) of license fees, is satisfying. The anticipation never grows old...

amen brother I hear you loud and clear
I retired about 4 years ago have my own land and bought a tractor and never seem to ride my 4 wheeler anymore
cutting grass,tilling fields,planting corn,planting food plots and mast bearing trees all for animals is my give back to
the animals for what I take
Absolutely love the doing that now that I have time to do it not rushing off to build another Walmart or lay brick on some
apartment building is golden
I actually got a phone call someone saw my resume and wanted to hire me for a job at the rate of 25-40
dollars an hour turned him down flat he seemed shocked but money isn't the end all,is it...

[skrapyard628]

My favorite example is lapidary. That is polishing rocks and making jewelry. When I was young, lapidary was considered a gold mine and those doing it wouldn’t teach others. Now those that know how to do it are in their nineties and it is a dead hobby. Do we want our firearms freedoms to die that way?
Doing firearm training and getting paid can be good for all. Just don’t get in too deep. Ankle deep only!

Lots of good advice in this thread. Im quite a ways away from retirement age so its always good to read about these things and plant some seeds in my mind for the future.

Training and teaching people about firearms is very honorable IMO. Anyone who devotes their time to do that without profits in their mind is a better person than they may admit.

The dead hobby quote above strikes me quite hard. My girlfriend is currently learning lapidary arts, specifically faceting and soon she will be learning how to create custom settings. The only person we found who was willing to mentor and teach her is over 80yrs old. There just arent very many young people involved in it. Thankfully her teacher Frank is more than enthralled that someone new wants to learn the craft. As a side note her teacher reloads and casts his own bullets, or at least he used to. So there we go...full circle, lapidary and guns!

[facetious]

It's been ten months since I retired and all ready I can't even fantasize about going back to work. Someday I might do something but it will have to be something that I want to do.

[woodbutcher]

Just make sure that the"up to your ankles"was`nt going in head first.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Land Owner]

amen brother I hear you loud and clear
I retired about 4 years ago have my own land and bought a tractor and never seem to ride my 4 wheeler anymore
cutting grass,tilling fields,planting corn,planting food plots and mast bearing trees all for animals is my give back to
the animals for what I take
Absolutely love the doing that now that I have time to do it not rushing off to build another Walmart or lay brick on some
apartment building is golden

The harvest of a really good deer on your own land, that you tilled, planted, pay for and sweated the details, made encouraging for the deer's passing, is table fare, taxidermy, and memories above all else. I give credit to the Land Owner, my SCDNR Mentor and Host, for 28 consecutive years of dirt time and hunter education, through his open invitation annually to my hobby farming, hunting, and learning by observation and instructions. I had the luck and good fortune to know, befriend, and share the camaraderie of the men that annually prepare the Upstate SC lands for Public hunting. I ate it all up for breakfast, before it got to be too much. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

What I learned there I brought home to my land. It took a while. I had to try different seeds, different plants, different timing, a different strategy, but from the lessons learned I adapted, persevered, and overcame. From Desk Jockey, "sailing" a business computer in engineering design every business day, to 5-days of annual sojourn to SC just to plant, and then back again in 45-days to hunt for 10-straight days was a thrill.

I've hung up those "racing around" shoes. I am staying closer to my homestead now, hunting my own land. My tractor will STILL outwork me every day and twice on Sundays. I am sharing the work and what I know with a couple of younger generation men who are eager to lend a hand with the chores - for the right to hunt game (deer, turkey, and hogs - and Lord do we have the hogs). There has historically been and looks to be again a LOT of trigger time in hogs.

The future is bright...retirement is a gift for which we've worked all of our lives and in which to take advantage. Don't miss it. Life goes by SO FAST.

[BobT]

I retired from the Navy in 1996 and have worked every day since, now at almost 62 starting to think about retiring again.

[elmacgyver0]

I was going to retire at 68 but was coerced by my boss to work part time.
Now I work 3 days a week and have 4 day weekends and money to buy toys with!
I make enough that I don't need to use my savings or SS, I can just let it build up.

[beezapilot]

Retired from the Navy at 38, got a golden handshake from BMW at 50, played hard for 8 years. At 58 I finished up a great summer of travel and adventure, and opted to take a 90 day temp position at a local company- extra cash for this years adventures (that wouldn't happen, but I didn't know that). In the 90 days of employment, the plague hit and the market went south hard- so stayed with the job. Thought I'd ride it out as it seemed a good buying opportunity to throw money at the 401K (can only use earned income). Been there a year, 3 promotions. Happy to have something to do in lieu of adventuring. Working four 10 hour days leaves me 3 for shooting and kayaking, so not much of an hardship on my time. Oddly, I've appreciated the social aspect of the job more than I thought I would. Now with the horrible possibilities in November, being employed may not be the worst thing- make an evaluation in the new year, may retire for a 3rd time.

[BP Dave]

Haven't hung up my spurs yet, but thinking about it. From a completely different perspective, there are more people than ever buying firearms--I suspect many are first-timers who could desperately use proper training. You sound like someone who could provide that. A lot of people volunteer in retirement--sometimes they get paid enough to cover expenses, sometimes they don't. My grandfather, a skilled and experienced orthopedic surgeon, used to volunteer at blood banks for $50 a day. He didn't need the money, but they had to have a doctor present, so he did it as a public service for small change.

So in addition to the remuneration, you might also consider the public good that comes from providing competent instruction. And if it interferes with retirement, you can always quit.

[shooterg]

When retiring never tell anyone ! Told the wife I did not retire to go to work for her - shoulda told everyone. All think you now have time to volunteer for any and all.

[Winger Ed.]

I retired 3 years ago.
For most of the things I did when I was younger--- I figure its time to let someone else have a turn at doing all that.

[snowwolfe]

If the money would be handy tell the prospective employer you want paid double what you made before. If he accepts you are good, if not you only lost a few minutes of your time.
I knew a few guys who came out of retirement for obscene amounts of cash and all were shocked to receive it. Most lasted another year or so before retiring again.

[Bmi48219]

Even if you retire and take a no stress, part time position at a astronomically high rate of pay, there will be occasions you can’t do the things you want to do because you have to go to work. Extra money is alway good, but you can’t buy extra time.
Good luck & enjoy your retirement.