Great thread- thanks for the insights from those retired and those approaching...
I've been working in IT (I know shocker) for around 35 years, got screwed when my job (and most others) was eliminated after a cut-throat takeover and now my commute went from 1/2 hour to 3 hours+ daily. I have two kids heading to college and an increasingly distant marriage. There's little time to keep up with every day obligations much less so playing guitar, music, reading, travel, quality time with family and friends and the passions of life.
I'm 4-5 years away from early SS and basically I'm hanging in until then. I could go on working perhaps another 10 years but will retire earlier and poorer. Why? Because life is short and I just doesn't make sense being miserable and then retiring in comfort only to die a few years later or worse at my stinkin' desk in the office.
I plan to exercise, make music, absorb more culture and get more involved in my community. To me being old is appreciating what a fascinating world this is and how miraculous and strange it is to even exist. Each passing moment gets shorter and shorter and more and more fascinating and miraculous even as I feel the light slowly dimming.
Cheers,
Bill
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