Too Old To Retire "Young"

[RockyMtnLiving]

I also know what you mean. 57 here. I know of two former high school classmates who have passed. I could go on and on.

Anyway, I find myself reading a lot of philosophy.

Best wishes to all of you.

[Sclass]

Yeah I’ve mentioned it here in the past. I had to face my mortality in my early 40s. I’d not retired yet. After making a full recovery I quit my job 1.5 years after leaving the operating room. It was a surreal feeling during MRIs and CAT scans as I pondered how I’d struggled and sacrificed all my life for a tomorrow that I’d never get to enjoy. The minute I got back to the office I started planning my escape. Up to then I was just FI and dreaming of ER.

I had a boss die at 55 of cancer early in my career. He used to stop by my lab and tell me how lucky I was after his diagnosis. My FIL’s mistress (I know nobody misses her) died at 39 of cancer. And recently a fellow Vintage Mercedes enthusiast died at 37 of cancer. Most of us are anti YOLO here but there is something to be said about it. It deserves at least a nod.

[EdithKeeler]

-deleted

[rube]

I don't know what to make of "deleted", but I hope you're okay EK.

[EdithKeeler]

Oh, thank you—I am! I just had a big post with plans and detailed numbers, and then I thought better of putting actual numbers out there. I may modify and repost soon.

Thanks for worrying about me!

[rube]

Good to hear and I am curious about your future plans.

[rube]

@EK, any update on the plans and ready to share some of it?

[EdithKeeler]

Hello, all. I just realized how long it’s been since I posted. Why so long, you ask? Wish I knew. Life, man. Lately life has just been Groundhog Day on infinite repeat. I suspect I’ve been a little depressed. Life has consisted lately of slogging at work, fixing dinner for my mom and schlepping it to the nursing home, where she complains (tonight the chunks in my potato salad were too big, and it wasn’t salty enough—yet it didn’t prevent her from having seconds).

Seriously. Nothing has happened in the last 6+ months. I’m just glad spring is here and I can get out more.

I really thought I might quit my job this year, but the stock market is not cooperating. I also have been doing some shopping therapy, and that’s not helping. Plenty of money, but not quite enough to say “fuck you” and quit, which I’m really wanting to do right now.

Anyway. Hope all is well with everyone.

[Dave]

Thanks for the update EK.

I can relate to some of your post, sometimes we have these sorts of stretches. But, like you, I'm really enjoying the spring !

Hope your mom likes the potatoes better next time .

[7Wannabe5]

Good to hear from you. I'm stuck a bit in Groundhog Day mode myself. My advice would be to have some adventures while all of your most important body parts are still working.

[EdithKeeler]

Good advice, to have an adventure! I decided my last post was pretty sad, so I booked a vacation to a coastal resort for June. No better cure for the blahs than sun, surf and margaritas. I booked the dogs’ kennel today, too (usually I wait til the last minute and it’s booked up) so no excuses there.

I just found out two friends from high school and college are retiring next week. Both are teachers with big, fat pensions. I gotta admit, I’m a little jealous!!

[Frita]

Thinking of forumites I haven’t seen in a long time: How was the June reset? Did you end up retiring?

[rube]

+1 on people interested how you're doing

[EdithKeeler]

Hey there! Can’t believe it’s been more than a year since I checked in. I’d love to be able to say “so much has happened!” but…. It really hasn’t.

Firming up my plans to really retire. Right now it’s looking like June 2025. I’ll definitely be too old to retire young then (I will be 60. How is that even possible?), but if things keep going as they are, it may be next year. But probably that 2025 date.

Still working at home; the new wrinkle, though, is at least once a month travel. They closed my local office, made us all be on camera, but that’s not enough. We’re not collaborating with each other, so apparently a meeting once a month that I have to drive or fly to and engage in axe-throwing or some other stupid activity is going to make the company make more money. It’s beyond stupid, and slightly surreal. It’s also fucking expensive, since I have to board my dogs every time.

So yeah. 2 years, maybe one. Money wise I’m probably good, just need to make sure I have enough extra to be able to help out my family. Mom is still doing mostly ok in the nursing home; my brother is struggling, making $15 an hour.

Had lunch this week with a good friend who retired 4 years ago at 60. He’s living a great life and he and his wife are traveling a good bit, but he does it on the cheap. He’s got a little part time job for when he’s not on the road, and he urged me to find a part time retirement job for the social contact and stuff. I’m thinking about what that might be, but nothing seems terribly appealing. Spending a year puttering around and then thinking about it, maybe, seems more my speed.

Talked to another friend who is 10 years older than me. Hates her job, qualifies for social security and Medicare. She’s had 3 bouts of cancer in her life and is so afraid of getting sick and not having money. I told her I’d be more afraid of dying before I got to enjoy my retirement. But I guess people look at things differently.

I’m all in all pretty healthy—still too fat, but working on it. My knees are problematic though, and if I have to get a knee replacement, I’ll definitely do that while I’m working so the recovery is on the company’s dime.

Anyway. I feel like I neglected this journal, but just not much to say! I’ll try to check in more often.

ETA: Ha! Almost forgot. One more thing I didn’t even think to mention—relationship with on-again, off-again DBF is really off now. We didn’t survive living in the same city. We do keep in touch, though, and he informed me recently that he has a new “lady friend” (that’s what he called her— I was like “ew!” )and she lives 4 hours away.

[IlliniDave]

Good to hear from you EK. Glad things are progressing and sometimes nothing much happening is a good thing. At least ti seems to be that way for me. I'm 6 days shy of 2 years since pulling the plug, and although it's something I've considered, I've not felt much of a need for a retirement occupation. Just going around doing the things I do keeps me feeling pretty alive and engaged. And for me, one of the things retirement did was free up a lot of time and energy that can be applied to health and fitness and I've done fairly well in that regard as a retiree. Good luck! 2025 will be here before you know it, the last couple years really flew by for me.

[EdithKeeler]

Sitting here on my back porch, realizing I probably have “one more year to comfort” syndrome. Or something.

All indications are that it’s time to pull the plug. Not this minute, but maybe July 2024. But realistically still on track for June or July 2025. I just had a birthday—turned 59—and lately am starting to feel some of the physical issues associated with being “old.” I don’t feel old… but the arthritis in my knees and hands says otherwise. I always wanted to move to a little farm, but not sure that’s physically realistic anymore.

I’m sort of in this place right now where I’m reevaluating my life. It’s all passed by way too quickly. There’s things I still want to do, but some maybe aren’t so realistic anymore. And that old careerism recently reared its head—there was a Director position posted that would be a really exciting opportunity to really Do Something and Make a Difference. I started to apply, but then came to my senses. A little corner of my soul is still 35 years old and wanting a corner office, as I was programmed to do. Overcoming programming can be hard.

But what do I want to do with next 20 years or so? Anything I want, of course, but it’s just that I want to do less than I used to. And that’s mostly ok, I think. A little travel, more domestic than overseas. I better get on that, because I’m not sure how long my arthritis will be manageable. It’s hard to travel, though, because of my mom’s health. I’d hate to be overseas if something happened. Write. Learn to play the guitar. Or maybe piano. Clean up my yard. My needs are clearly small.

I’ve known it for a long time, but my job has really defined me, even though I’ve never even liked it very much. And most of my friends and acquaintances are defined by their jobs as well. The one person I know IRL who’s not all about his job sort of drifts aimlessly, and he’s unhappy. I don’t want that for myself, either.

[delay]

From what my retired friends tell me, a gradual change from work to pension works better. Like going part time first. Then on the part time days you shift to doing the things you want to do after you retire. The earlier you start the better.

Some of my retired colleagues went back to work, one even full time. Turns out they liked work after all!

[7Wannabe5]

As your age peer, I hear you on starting to feel a bit stiff. I was reading an article about how most American farmers are aging and there aren't enough young farmers to take over, and it made me remember a comment Martha Stewart once made about only having enough time left to start one more garden.

[sky]

It is really difficult to find meaning. Being in a situation where you have to create your own meaning is challenging and requires making difficult decisions. It is not necessarily bad to have your meaning created by career. Unless you have something else you really want to do, work can be satisfying and meaningful.