Question of the Day | 05/13/2008 12:00 am

What is your definition of retirement?

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I retired years ago (while I was still young) because my husband liked me to be available to go places with him. That was nice. We always had good times together. He died 6 years ago and now I’m retired because of health reasons. I still enjoy traveling…….spending lots of time with my grandchildren and great grandchilren. I’ve done volunteer work……always keep busy. In fact I sometimes wonder…….Where is all this free time retirement is supposed to allow. I guess if you have an active mind (which I do) nothing is ever boring. Life is too exciting to be bored. I tell my grandchildren when they say they are bored, I don’t believe in boredom, when you have a brain (that functions) how can you possibly be bored…..If that fails then we go outside and listen to the grass grow…

By Dona Howlett on 05/13/2008 3:40 am

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i retired last december. retirement means one thing: choice. now, for the first time in my life, i have choice about what to do with my time. FYI, as a man, there is only one choice you have in life: to work until you die. that is your option in life. many women i know do not seem to realize that men don’t have this dizzying array of fun life choices in front of them, from which we’re free to pick and chose as we please, and merrily go on our way. a man’s life is way, WAY different than a woman’s conception of it. probably as different as a woman’s life is than a man’s conception of it. :-) so, i am FREE now! FREE! i am liberated, not bound tightly by work schedules which suck the life right out of you, and have more than one choice about how to spend time. FREE!! FREE!! FREE!! i’m 50, and am enjoying the second half of life now. i hated working, and hated having all the time there is in life go down the drain. i can finally begin living, and have been enjoying myself immensely doing gardening, cooking, taking trips with my lady, getting a radio show going, and too many other things to list here. retirement is not death, as many think it is. retirement is the beginning of life, and especially for those who’ve had no choices before.

By sherman amsel on 05/13/2008 3:45 am

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Of all the wonderful comments posted, this (sherman amsel) is the one I agree with the most. I love retirement and the freedom it gives. It’s like being a 10 years old again and it’s summertime. Every day is yours. For me, money couldn’t compensate for the best hours of my day — I couldn’t sell my life any longer.

By Marjorie C. on 05/13/2008 5:56 am

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Maybe “retirement” is a dirty word. When I read Marjorie’s description I thought of “recess”—The time of day when students can go out and run around the playground. My friend lives in a beautiful community where her days are spent playing tennis and meeting the gals for card games, sitting by the pool reading her book, etc. etc. She worked hard all her life and lost her son to brain cancer when he was just about to celebrate his 16th birthday. I am glad she is enjoying her recess. It is a new transition. And change can be a good thing.

By Brooklyn Gal on 05/13/2008 11:48 am

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“retirement is the beginning of life, and especially for those who’ve had no choices before.” Retirement is just like a freedom, especially for who has worked hard. I usually have the same feeling that we are busy on something, and have no time to company with our family, watch our favorite films and do what we like, that drived me crazy and I really doubt why I had to do this job and for what? Although I am still a student in the campus, when I face what I choose as my career, I really feel confused because I am afraid when I pursue something, I would lose something , including the freedom. sherman amsel, I wish you have a wonderful time to do what you like, enjoying your time!

By lin si on 05/13/2008 10:19 am

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Growing up with “women’s lib” and the “choices” it supposedly provided, I can say for me it has not given me choices, but imposed the reality of working for a paycheck to make ends meet. Pre-divorce it meant a husband who expected me to work so we could have all the extras he wanted, and post-divorce it means working 2 jobs just to get by. Retirement, IF I have that luxury, would mean being able to do the things I love without being tied to the necessity of working just to pay the bills with nothing left over for the “fun stuff”. The silver lining is finding the “fun stuff” in the everyday things of life and enjoying time with loved ones.

By Lane Kowitz on 05/13/2008 4:07 pm

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Sherman, I like how you discribe retirement as a “choice”. I am 46yrs. old and not planning to retire anytime soon but I am back in school so that I may have the choice to continue to do the “work” that I have loved my whole working career. I’m a nurse and have loved every minute of my career. However as we get older, sometimes we have to just change what direction we go in our field. I like the idea that I have a choice to continue to work long into my mature years. I also try to remember to do the things with my husband and children that I love, now. Things like travel and get together with friends because unfortunetly so many people wait until they “retire” and then due to illness or the death of a spouse they find they have waited too long. I say go explore, play, travel, etc. now!

By Lynn VanDeLaarschot on 05/14/2008 3:46 pm

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I plan to all things i never time to do.(Remain active)! Also make sure women everywhere are aware of BIZLOPEDIA.COM, the #1 online shopping mall for all their needs which provides savings of up to 80% on all shopping needs. http://www.Bizlopedia.com

By connie jamison on 05/13/2008 3:58 am

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Peace of mind. No stress. Absolutely NO alarm clocks going off at 2.30 each morning.

By Christina on 05/13/2008 4:59 am

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What, there are two 2:30s in a day?

By Mugsy Peabody on 05/13/2008 5:48 am

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So your clock shows 24 hours to you, i.e. it’ll show 14.30 when it’s 2.30 in the afternoon?? Our way of telling the time is a h-of-a-way better than your AM/PM crap. No chance of mistakes….

By Christina on 05/13/2008 5:00 pm

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LOL Mugsy! ;-)

By Christina on 05/13/2008 4:50 pm

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I saw a post that someone started school at 55. I was so glad to see that. I’ve returned to school for my masters at 57. Retirement for me is retiring from doing jobs I don’t want to do and working at something I’m excited about and will probobly never retire from.

By Linda LL on 05/13/2008 6:20 am

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I was forced into retirement because of health problems and I have to confess that I fought it for too long. Now I’m loving it. I can go to lunch with friends, watch TV or read until all hours and never set the alarm (unless it’s for something I really want to do) and be available to spend time with aging parents that work would not have allowed. Boredom does not have to be a factor because there are hundreds of places that need volunteers and libraries full of wonderful books. My mother used to tell me that there are no boring situations, just boring people.

By Jo Vaughn on 05/13/2008 7:07 am

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Being lucky enough to be able to what you want to do, when you want to. Some people in the world only have a life expectation of 35, if that. Some people never have the chance to have a paid job. Some people’s pensions evaporate. The reality is that retirement is the luxury of the privileged few.

By M S on 05/13/2008 7:09 am