I've been sick for over a week and am finally feeling better. Today we have a Nor'easter storm brewing outside which has turned the neighborhood into a winter wonderland. Today is a good day to clean out closets and do some spring cleaning:) Yes, I am trying to hurry spring! My husband is home due to the storm and is cooking his favorite meal...spaghetti! He has to have his fix of sauce and pasta at least once a week.
Being retired has its ups and downs. You have so much time on your hands that you can accomplish a lot...clean your house, do errands, volunteer, meet up with friends, work on your blog:), spend time on the computer, call and make appointments, watch TV, go outside and take a walk, shovel when the snow comes, exercise inside the house, read a book, work on crafts, and figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life.
I'm at the point in time of figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I would like to reach out to other retired people and find out how they are coping with retirement. Is it what you expected? Any surprises? Are you doing what you dreamed of doing? Do you have direction? Focus? Are you happy? Do you have too much time on your hands? Do you know what you want to do with the rest of your life?
I created this blog to help each other realize their purpose, their focus, their direction...happiness in retirement! I look forward to input from all of you. Let's learn together what a wonderful life we have and how we can make this chapter in our lives one of the best!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Happy Birthday!
Well, today is my 62nd birthday! I have finally achieved a milestone where I can collect Social Security and officially be retired. Funny... that it is the first thing that comes to mind! I have had a wonderful life, I am thankful for my family and my good health. Hitting retirement is like a new chapter in my life.
Happy Birthday to all you Baby Boomers! Let's explore together the many challenges and chapters in our retirement.
Happy Birthday to all you Baby Boomers! Let's explore together the many challenges and chapters in our retirement.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Well here goes, my first post...I have to start somewhere.
Most of us plan for our retirement by figuring out the financial part first, then what we want to do with our free time. Seems simple enough, but most of us haven't really figured out what we want to do with our spare time. Time we use to work at a full-time job.
We spend a good amount of time working in our career field. You may work for several companies or maybe just for one main company or organization. We identify with our job, we fulfill our job responsibilities, feel a purpose for what we do, and are out in the 'real' world earning a living.
Then you either plan to retire or your job may be eliminated and throw you into retirement without so much as a "thank you very much". In my case, my job was eliminated after 31 years. I wasn't planning on retiring at least for another two years and even then I wasn't sure I would be able to.
Losing my job, applying for unemployment for the first time in my life and starting to collect my pension from my workplace, were all surprises for me in 2009. I was not prepared for this disruption in my life, to not have a job in such a depressed economy, the uncertainty of my future was weighing heavily on my mind.
Being a baby boomer, I don't feel my age, I feel much younger. So to lose my job at age 60 was like being cut down in my prime, I wasn't ready for it. At first it was the financial aspect of losing my job and seeking to find another job that plagued my mind. Would I be able to survive financially? Would I be able to find another job? Did I want to find another job? If I don't find a job, what will I do with my time?
A year and half have passed and it brings me to writing this blog about how to deal emotionally with retirement, whether planned or forced. Jump on board...let's share and learn at the same time, what it takes to find happiness in retirement!
We spend a good amount of time working in our career field. You may work for several companies or maybe just for one main company or organization. We identify with our job, we fulfill our job responsibilities, feel a purpose for what we do, and are out in the 'real' world earning a living.
Then you either plan to retire or your job may be eliminated and throw you into retirement without so much as a "thank you very much". In my case, my job was eliminated after 31 years. I wasn't planning on retiring at least for another two years and even then I wasn't sure I would be able to.
Losing my job, applying for unemployment for the first time in my life and starting to collect my pension from my workplace, were all surprises for me in 2009. I was not prepared for this disruption in my life, to not have a job in such a depressed economy, the uncertainty of my future was weighing heavily on my mind.
Being a baby boomer, I don't feel my age, I feel much younger. So to lose my job at age 60 was like being cut down in my prime, I wasn't ready for it. At first it was the financial aspect of losing my job and seeking to find another job that plagued my mind. Would I be able to survive financially? Would I be able to find another job? Did I want to find another job? If I don't find a job, what will I do with my time?
A year and half have passed and it brings me to writing this blog about how to deal emotionally with retirement, whether planned or forced. Jump on board...let's share and learn at the same time, what it takes to find happiness in retirement!
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