Retirement

[Br1ck]

Thought I'd start a new thread as the dream thread has had a bunch of folks mention retirement. Yesterday I was having some minor work done on my trailer and a young guy there was thinking how nice it would be retired. He felt the only downside would be boredom. I told him I had never been bored even one day.

He asked me what I did with my time, and told him playing music took a couple of hours a day, gardening and keeping a hundred year old house from falling apart was the rest.

I've known people whose only avocation was golf that were bored stiff within six months and whose psyche was tied up in their work. Had a hard time adjusting.

Playing, writing and performing take up a huge part of my day and I am so glad to have that. Yes, we can wish for more and fancier instruments, but I found buying stuff was just to bribe myself for having to work. Someone mentioned not being any happier with expensive instruments. I believe that to be true.

If what makes you truly happy is running a business and making money, and I know a few people like that, don't ever retire. You will be miserable. On the other hand, if picking floats your boat, any decent mandolin will do.

[George R. Lane]

I just posted in the "Dreaming" thread about being retired and mentioned my passion for golf. I also have a small farm, many grandkids and a new great-granddaughter and these keep me from getting bored. I also know of retirees who didn't have something to keep them busy and they just withered away. So Stay busy or else.

[dhergert]

My wife and I have always told each other that we continue working to pay for our hobbies, music being the main one... And music as we do it is an expensive hobby because we like to camp at festivals for the jamming, and so we have a small motor home for that purpose. But since we are working, we can't take the kind of time off that we'd like to for seeing the nation by way of festivals, so that has become one of our retirement goals.

Now that we're both of retirement age, it is only natural that we're both having to talk ourselves into going to work more and more. I suspect that one day we're going to just look at each other and say that's enough, it's time. I think we're both starting to look forward to that a lot.

Regarding MAS or BAS or GAS, I have a modest bucket list of the instruments that catch my eye, but it isn't a major dream. I've got a lot of nice instruments, more than I need, and I know I can only play one at a time. So my bucket list is not something that I would delay retirement for. It's just fun to dream.

[MediumMando5722]

I enjoy most of the time I spend at work, but ultimately it's a paycheck. I can't imagine being bored without my job.

Congrats to all you guys who made it to retirement and are enjoying it, and I very much look forward to joining you

[Dave Bradford]

I'll be retiring this year and looking forward to it in so many ways. I was fortunate enough to be able to acquire my dream instruments while I was working so I look forward to playing them more with the addition of new time. Keeping busy shouldn't be a problem as there are so many things I just couldn't get to while working full time, and I hated to use my vacation time to get the major parts of the honey-do list checked off.

[montana]

It's better to have one instrument and the time to play it than many instruments and no time to play them. IMO

[Rich Benson]

I hate retirement, 10 years now. Playing music but always frustrated by my lack of talent, and how long it takes to learn something new. Wish I had something that I was good at and loved doing.

[Caleb]

...if picking floats your boat, any decent mandolin will do.

This would make a great signature line.

[Willie Poole]

When I retired they paid me quite a handsome sum to leave on the early out retirement plan so I bought a bass boat and made a down payment on a small house in Florida and I spent the summers here up north and the winters down there and took my golf clubs and boat with me...Now that I have gotten older and no longer play golf and can`t get in and out of the boat any more I sold the house in Florida and that leaves me plenty of time to play music and tinker with small repairs on mandolins for who ever needs them...Bored? sometimes I am but I look around for something to do to keep from being bored and usually can find something to do...I do front a bluegrass band so we get together a few times between gigs to practice...I do find that I have way too much wasted time on this computer but reading stuff on the Mandolin Café also helps me from being bored....My only regret is that I hate cold weather and snow but will manage somehow....

Happy St. Pats Day to all of you...

Willie...!/4 English, 1/4 Irish and 1/2 bourbon...

[Mike Scott]

I hate retirement, 10 years now. Playing music but always frustrated by my lack of talent, and how long it takes to learn something new. Wish I had something that I was good at and loved doing.

I can certainly relate to that! This was a brutal winter in Bend and due to shoulder issues not able to ski or snowboard much. I find myself playing more mandolin, guitar and dobro. I don't jam too much but have been to more jams this year than ever before. Boredom! I suck at music playing even though I've been at guitar for approximately 20 years (got a late start), mandolin 8+ and drift about on the reso. No talent? The weather has turned and I hope my shoulders will allow regular golf and other outdoor activities again (although I suck there too). If not there is landscape photography- maybe given time I could be good at that. I consider myself a "competent technician" with pretty limited talent. Maybe should have continued working..........just sayin'.

[Mandobart]

I think/dream about retirement frequently. I like my job and coworkers and the pay and benefits are great, but I prefer what I do in my off time to work, so I'm eager to get to it. I've maxed out the 401k contribution for many years, in addition to the defined benefit plan I'll get from the state. No debts, my paycheck goes for expenses and fun, and I have two kids in college. When my daughter finishes in 3 years I'll be more than elligible to retire, though because I'll be less than 65 the state retirement gets reduced significantly (for the rest of my life). So I'm running numbers and evaluating options. Between camping, skiing, motorcycles, music and more I don't think I'll get bored.

[catmandu2]

Can I make a suggestion? Folks who are finding it challenging to self-occupy or otherwise lacking inspiration or motivation in retirement - consider hanging out with folks in LTC/nursing homes. Perhaps run an ad on craigslist seeking folks interested in donating time, meet up at the nursing home and pick. The folks there are even more bored than you are.

Personally, I can't stop playing music, so I figured what I'd do in retirement is busk (the music i play hasn't much commercial value). But I have inhibitions with that in one way or another - I'm distracted easily, for one thing - so I've just been playing music in nursing homes (it's much warmer!)

[mandowilli]

I was fortunate enough to retire 10 years ago at age 52 and I must say that I have never been busier. Music is the central focus of my life now and I love it.

The greatest thing about being retired is that you no longer have to tolerate any people in your life that you choose not to have anything to do with.

[Ray(T)]

My theory is that life largely boils down to three things - health, time and money. In your youth, you have the first two but not the third. In your middle (working) years, you have the first and last but not the time. In your later years you will have the last two but not the first. What you need to do is to break the cycle in some way and don't put off what you can do now until such time as you're incapable of enjoying it!

[Beanzy]

I wonder if I qualify to pipe up here.
I'm now heading for 52 but went 1/2 time at work 15 years ago so we could bring our son up in a lovely environment... with the intention of giving it up and doing something else locally. We had moved to the kind of place people dream of retiring to. Anyway still working for the same people every second week and have no desire to retire at all. I now have no time spare either, but do way too many fun interesting things and enjoy a frugal life on 1/2 a salary that is still more than people locally earn. Although my costs are high due to travel and accommodation I could never afford to live near where I work and do 1/2 time, so a frugal busy happy tired & semi-clapped-out existence is my road for as long as it lasts.

[catmandu2]

Live lyrically and poetically - make as many days reverential and 'celebrate to best of it'!

[AndyPanda]

I've been retired for about 6 months now and haven't been bored for a moment. I practice sax for a couple hours each day, mandolin for a couple hours, bass for an hour or two. I've got a B3 and Leslie cabinet for working out song ideas. And if I ever start to get bored - there's a nice drum kit in the basement waiting for me to learn to play.

[Steve Ostrander]

I was planning to retire early at the end of this month, but after I ran the numbers (SSI and pension) I decided that I would wait until age 65. I have a job that many people would do for free (historian at a museum) and the pay and bennies are good. But I won't have a problem amusing myself when retirement comes. I have music, home improvement projects for myself and my kids, kayaking, hiking, travel, reading, bicycling, and most importantly, grandchildren.

[Bill Kammerzell]

I've been retired for almost 4 years now. A friend asked me what I do every day. I told him, "Any thing I want to do."

[Phil Goodson]

High stress job for almost 40 years.
Retired 6 months ago.
I recommend it highly.

As long as I have something to learn, either musically or otherwise, I won't be bored.

[allenhopkins]

Retired in 2001, 57 years old, 30 years of civil service so I was "maxed." Had been playing music nights and weekends, decided after retirement to work on it a bit harder. Now up to about 200 gigs per year, mostly small potatoes, lots of seniors' work, libraries, historical societies, coffeehouses. Don't make enough to live on, but my pension takes care of basic needs, music helps fund "extravagances" like strings, picks, vacations, etc.

Advice: pick out something you'd like to concentrate on in retirement; don't just retire and say, "What now?" Internet and cable can waste much of your time. There's house repairs, yard work, visits with friends and family, exercise -- all great, but that avocation or "second career" is the ticket.

Gotta go, got a St. Pat's job tonight.

[Eric F.]

Willie...!/4 English, 1/4 Irish and 1/2 bourbon...

I think we're related.

[5bassman]

I retired in 2012 at 49 years old but with 31 years as a full time firefighter. It's the type job where you get out while your still healthy. Since I hired on at 18 years old I got my full retirement. I love retirement! But I still have a small lawncare company that I work one day a week to have some spending money. 10-11 customers does me good. In 4 years I haven't even come close to being bored! It's hard to miss getting up at 2am in the middle of winter and fighting a house fire until shift change at 7am. No, I don't miss it at all!

[Bill McCall]

One year in now and not looking back. It is a bit odd I don't get much more practice in now than I did when I was working, but I'm a whole lot more relaxed, which comes with not getting up at 4:30. Do jam a lot more though.

Looking now to tackle the wood I've lugged around for 40 years and build an electric and acoustic mandolin, as long as it doesn't interfere with playing.

Used to play golf, it got in the way of practice and jamming. Festivals are like golf, good friends, outdoors and there may be liquor involved.

[Mark Wilson]

I play more. I still get up early and 2-3 hours playing (on and off) in the morning is kinda normal.

I play at my pace - not looking at clock - working on smaller things in my playing that I felt were a waste of time when I worked.

A lot of folks ask me 'how's retirement?". My favorite answer is "it doesn't suck!"