Today ! I retired!
- Thread starter judimac
- Start date
Shrinking_Bev
Likes to eat.........alot
Wishing you a very long and happy retirement Judi xxx
*is also jealous* lol
Have a great retirement!
To be honest, the first few months of my retirement were not a good time for me. I had a wonderful career and although I knew it was time for me to retire (things were changing at the office, also I had not been well) I was still a bit sad to go.
The few months before I retired were a whirlwind of sorting out my office and lots of farewell lunches, and lovely letters from people I had dealt with (I still treasure the letter I received from the then Foreign Secretary), culminating in a fantastic retirement party, so actually being retired was a bit of a letdown! (I did not miss the commuting, though!)
Then I discovered that all the procedures and systems and archives that I had set up had been dismantled almost as soon as I had left the building - that made me sad too, and rather cross.
BUT - I am not one to sit around and mope for long, so I gave myself a firm kick on the posterior and got out there and found myself a new life. I joined an organisation called the U3A, which stands for University of the Third Age. It offers opportunities for informal learning and social activities, and there are branches all over the country. (Google it if you are interested.) Before long I was on the committee and helping to organise publicity, talks, study days, visits, etc., and was so busy that work was a distant memory.
Also I had some time for being "busy doing nothing" - a great treat!
Sorry, I have rambled on about myself rather a lot, but what I am trying to say is that retirement might not be quite what you expected - but it could be better! If you find yourself feeling a bit lost, or a bit down to start with, this is really normal. It has happened to every person I know who has retired. It doesn't last, and then you begin to construct a whole new exciting life.
Some of the best things about it are: looking out of the kitchen window on an icy morning and seeing people scrape their windscreens, having a little laugh, then going back to bed for an hour; going shopping on a Tuesday morning, when all the shops are empty; going for bus trips for nothing on my bus pass, and paying less for entry to various places.
But the best bit is not being obliged to know things any more!
When my ex-boss asked me recently what the best thing about being retired was, I told him that I had spent 33 years pretending to understand the EU budget (I worked for an EU institution), and now I could confess that not only did I not understand it at all, and never had, but that I really didn't care!
Have a wonderful time, enjoy yourself, be irresponsible, have a giggle.
And you might like to read this poem:
Warning by Jenny Joseph
To be honest, the first few months of my retirement were not a good time for me. I had a wonderful career and although I knew it was time for me to retire (things were changing at the office, also I had not been well) I was still a bit sad to go.
The few months before I retired were a whirlwind of sorting out my office and lots of farewell lunches, and lovely letters from people I had dealt with (I still treasure the letter I received from the then Foreign Secretary), culminating in a fantastic retirement party, so actually being retired was a bit of a letdown! (I did not miss the commuting, though!)
Then I discovered that all the procedures and systems and archives that I had set up had been dismantled almost as soon as I had left the building - that made me sad too, and rather cross.
BUT - I am not one to sit around and mope for long, so I gave myself a firm kick on the posterior and got out there and found myself a new life. I joined an organisation called the U3A, which stands for University of the Third Age. It offers opportunities for informal learning and social activities, and there are branches all over the country. (Google it if you are interested.) Before long I was on the committee and helping to organise publicity, talks, study days, visits, etc., and was so busy that work was a distant memory.
Also I had some time for being "busy doing nothing" - a great treat!
Sorry, I have rambled on about myself rather a lot, but what I am trying to say is that retirement might not be quite what you expected - but it could be better! If you find yourself feeling a bit lost, or a bit down to start with, this is really normal. It has happened to every person I know who has retired. It doesn't last, and then you begin to construct a whole new exciting life.
Some of the best things about it are: looking out of the kitchen window on an icy morning and seeing people scrape their windscreens, having a little laugh, then going back to bed for an hour; going shopping on a Tuesday morning, when all the shops are empty; going for bus trips for nothing on my bus pass, and paying less for entry to various places.
But the best bit is not being obliged to know things any more!
When my ex-boss asked me recently what the best thing about being retired was, I told him that I had spent 33 years pretending to understand the EU budget (I worked for an EU institution), and now I could confess that not only did I not understand it at all, and never had, but that I really didn't care!
Have a wonderful time, enjoy yourself, be irresponsible, have a giggle.
And you might like to read this poem:
Warning by Jenny Joseph
Going2be*fab*at40
Silver Member
You look so happy in your picture - well done you!
I hope that you have the most fantastic retirement and can find the time to do things that you really enjoy!
Lets hope that this is the most wonderful period of your life. x
I hope that you have the most fantastic retirement and can find the time to do things that you really enjoy!
Lets hope that this is the most wonderful period of your life. x
Great news to be free at last! The last few months must have been difficult, but NOW you can really start to enjoy the freedom and opportunities that retirement brings - it's certainly the best time of MY life!!!
New picture looks great - do you really need to lose another 2 stone?
CONGRATULATIONS, and ENJOY!!!
New picture looks great - do you really need to lose another 2 stone?
CONGRATULATIONS, and ENJOY!!!
Scarlet Daisy
Hungry For Life
Congratulations! Have a wonderful new life!
