What I will (and won't) miss when I retire.

[Psalam]

I have come to the place in my career where I am looking at the end of my career. Like everyone else it's had its ups and its downs. It has made me reflective about the changes I'll soon be facing. As a result I thought I'd share some of what I see/foresee and then leave the Thread open for the views of others.

 

Things I will miss:

The very many friendly people that I've cared for over the years

My friendly and helpful staff

The routine work imposes on my life (yes I think of it as a plus)

The regular income that is not dependent on anyone else

 

Things I won't miss:

The jerks with unrealistic expectations I've dealt with (boy have I got some stories here)

Having a large number of other people dependent on me (family is one thing - this is another)

Dealing with so much self-destruction (this covers a multitude of sins)

Feeling responsible for keeping up with everything since others depend on an unbiased source of up-to-date info

 

And while I could expand both lists virtually ad nauseum I will stop here to avoid posting a wall of text and to leave others room to comment.

 

So, what will you miss (or NOT) when you retire?

[Guest]

> I don't know yet. I'm far from being retired.

[Psalam]

3 minutes ago, EvalovesEP said:

> I don't know yet. I'm far from being retired.

I appreciate that but I have discovered that we have a lot of people about my age here too. I remember @winny257 saying (through one translator or another) that he now "made money while he slept." He meant that he was living on his retirement. In any case, you might want to think about it - it has a habit or creeping up on you when you're not looking.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Psalam said:

I appreciate that but I have discovered that we have a lot of people about my age here too. I remember @winny257 saying (through one translator or another) that he now "made money while he slept." He meant that he was living on his retirement. In any case, you might want to think about it - it has a habit or creeping up on you when you're not looking.

> I remember winny and I miss him. But really, didn't thought about it. All I want (for now) to see our children prosperous, being in love and loved and to see our grandchildren.

[worik]

18 minutes ago, Psalam said:

Things I will miss:

The very many friendly people that I've cared for over the years

Some My friendly and helpful staff colleagues, coworkers and customers

The routine work imposes on my life (yes I think of it as a plus)

The regular income that is not dependent on anyone else ✅

The feeling to look at your your own piece of work after many years later and to know you made a difference

There's still some time to keep going for me (unless I'm fed up with it all)

 

18 minutes ago, Psalam said:

Things I won't miss:

The jerks with unrealistic expectations I've dealt with (boy have I got some stories here) ✅

Having a large number of other people dependent on me (family is one thing - this is another)✅

Dealing with so much self-destruction (this covers a multitude of sins)✅

Feeling responsible for keeping up with everything since others depend on an unbiased source of up-to-date info✅

✅ All that, even though I assume my shop is in a very different part of the city

And lot's more which might be summed up with a gesture ?

Spoiler

 

[worik]

19 minutes ago, Psalam said:

I remember @winny257 saying (through one translator or another) that he now "made money while he slept." He meant that he was living on his retirement.

That's an old joke. My grandfather did that, too.

And all my ancestors and those of my friends state: "The worst thing is, that I don't have time anymore."

[Gukahn]

I have to work at least another 3 decades but what i will absolutely miss are:
- The every day life, getting up, going to work. knowing i have a reason to.

- Some of my coworkers, tho most of them will retire in the next 10 years so i will miss them sooner ?

- The feeling of beeing completly done with the day. I mean it, the feeling of working hard and coming home to a well served evening, a hot bath and a meal.

 

What i won't be missing:
- Since today, one of my new colleague. Lying asshole got us good today ?

- The responsibility i have over 40 objects i have to look out for, doing everything in the gardens with 2 others and i am the team leader. Is sometimes more tiring then doing all the shitty work.

- the entiteled assholes who think, just because they pay my boss for our work it means we have to do everything they want us to. Really, the number of requests i get on a daily basis who not only are ridicules or impossible for us to do on time, sometimes they are just plain illegal and only a couple of people get that.. Jesus fucking christ ?

[Slorm]

@Psalam

 

I retired last year.

 

The main thing I have maintained is keeping the weekdays different to the weekends so I still have the old cycle of Monday to Friday. Having spent my life doing the office routine, I find it a great help to keep the old rhythm going.

 

Some other things:

 

Plan retirement in advance so you know what routine you'll be getting into in advance. This makes the transition much easier and you'll have plenty to occupy the initial free time.

Make sure your overall alcohol consumption doesn't increase over what it was

Exercise a bit every day. I walk a mile or two every weekday, whatever the weather unless it's very icy.

 

One last thing, you may think you'll have loads of time on your hands. I quickly found that I didn't know how I managed to do all the things I did while working and there's no excuse not to do the damned housework either now.

 

Above all, enjoy it. You've worked all those years so deserve some reward for all that effort.

 

 

[Torkya]

I retired about 7 years ago ... and yes its really only the people that I miss. Though it was a bit odd at first all that spare time, a hobby or other interest definitely was worth it's time

 

[nIn nIn nIn]

The government tell me I have to work another 12 years before I can retire. Not being privileged enough to be self employed or wealthy enough to own a business. 

 

My body however is worn out from hard work,

 

What will I miss when I finally retire? Not a damn thing. All the past colleagues who I absolutely loved working with have moved on to other things, and places. Due to my age and physical condition I am "blessed" (cursed) with only being able to find part time casual manual work. Workers in my situation don't work with other people long enough to develop any sort of rapport. Turn over is rapid, even though I have been doing the same job for 10 years already. The boss holds to the philosophy of "employees are not friends" - ie. cold and detached.

 

What won't I miss? The constant lower back pain, the aching knees and hip joints and the agony in my right shoulder every time I have to lift something above shoulder height. I've already had to give up driving heavy vehicles due to the inability to turn the steering wheel because of this shoulder. Oh, and every doctor I have seen just fobs me off with "it's normal for someone your age". I am 55 years old.