I’m retired: So what? Now what?
What are you going to do now that you are retired?
I get asked this question almost daily since I announced my retirement. Usually I answer, “Whatever I want to!”
Sometimes I give a little more detail:
- Stay up past 10 p.m.
- Delete my alarm.
- Schedule personal appointments on a weekday.
- Hang out in nature instead of an office.
- Clean my own house. (Okay, I don’t say that…I’m not crazy!)
If I’m in a more thoughtful mood, I will explain that I plan to take some time to decompress and just be…put doing on the back burner for a while.
I’ve worked outside the home for 45 years…longer if you count babysitting various neighborhood children for 50 cents an hour. For the last 24 years, I have worked for the same company. It was a job I loved…and sometimes hated…but mostly loved. Since 2003, I have had the privilege and enormous responsibility of serving in a leadership position.
At times during my career, I was simultaneously going to school and raising a family. More recently, I helped my siblings care for my aging parents. It’s a lot. I need a little time to rest and recuperate. I relish the opportunity to not have any big plans or commitments for a period.
When the time comes for more structure, I trust that the Universe will bring the opportunities to me. That said, I will follow the advice I once received from a wise coach (and my daughter) and meet the Universe halfway. In other words, I will do my part. For now, that means staying aware…tuned into those clues the Universe puts in my path…taking note of those things that peak my interest and raise my energy. And when the time is right for action, set the goals and do the work to take advantage of those opportunities.
In the meantime, I’m keeping a list.
Because that’s what I do. I can’t help myself.
I definitely want to keep blogging. Edit and eventually publish my novel. Travel more. Spend time with family and friends. Enjoy nature. Help my husband in his business.
I may want to plant a garden. Re-explore video to supplement my blog. Become fluent in French. Walk a Camino de Santiago trail.
I may do all of these or none of these. And I’m sure there will be other things that I haven’t even thought of yet.
So…what will I do now that I am retired? I stand by my initial response: Anything I want to. I just don’t know exactly what that is yet. Until I do, I will keep asking myself the questions that started this blog:
So what? Now what?
P.S. My team gave me the t-shirt in the opening photo. I did not anoint myself “Queen.” Although, if you want to refer to me as “Your Majesty,” that is acceptable.
Your turn
- Are you in the midst of big plans or enjoying a period of rest and recuperation?
- What was your first paying job?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all…I just love to hear from you.
Congratulations, Christie! I know you’ve looked forward to this day for a while and now it’s here. I answered that question in a similar manner when I retired. It amazed me that anyone would think that it would be difficult to fill out my days without work. I’m not always 100% busy (than goodness) but I am almost never bored. I look forward to following your journey into retirement. Welcome to the club!
Thank you, Janis. I love your input that you are not always 100% busy and never bored. That is the balance I hope to maintain. Right now I’m luxuriating in the not 100% busy part.
Congratulations on your retirement Christie. I’m sure retirement will be fabulous for you. It’s a great idea to enjoy some down time before setting new goals. I’m semi retired but haven’t yet made the jump to full time retirement. Like you I’ very fortunate to love my job
Thank you, Jennifer. It’s a wonderful thing to enjoy what you do for a living, and an equally wonderful thing when you know you are ready to say goodbye to that and try something new. Exciting times!
Congratulations. I was thinking about you earlier today, wondering how you were getting on.
We’re in the throes of big plans here in that my husband says he’s going to retire in the end of September. THIS I gotta see! As for my first job, I worked at a DQ and to this day could make a Buster Bar in my sleep.
Hey wait a minute… there’s my first comment showing up after I published my second one. Well botheration.
That’s funny, Ally. Thank you for your persistence!
True confession, Ally: I got a warm feeling when I read that you thought of me and wondered how I was getting on. I love that blogging has allowed me to make those kind of connections with people from all over the world.
I’ll be curious to see if your husband follows through with his retirement plans.
I could eat a DQ Blizzard right now. I just might have to hunt down a DQ before the day is out. If I do, I will be extra kind to the workers, who may be on their very first job.
Well I tried to leave a comment, a wordy one, and the system ate it. Hoping this goes through. Congratulations on your retirement. I’ll be succinct this time.
Hi Christie – I LOVED your tee shirt and you were obviously a loved and valued work colleague for them to do such a lovely send off for you. I think you have your approach to retirement spot on. It’s good to have a few things up your sleeve, but also good to give yourself time to decompress and to explore what might interest you. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about there always being something new on the horizon when we’re ready to jump in. It’s been 3 years for me and things keep changing – as soon as I start to feel like it’s getting to be a bit “same old” then I try something new. I just love it and I’m sure you’re going to thrive in this next stage of life – bring it on!
Thank you, Leanne. It was really sweet of the team to celebrate with me the way that they did. They’re a great group! That daily interaction is the part of working that I will miss. That said, these first stress-free, relaxing days have been heaven. I should tell you that I have learned a lot as I followed your journey over these past three years. Thank you for sharing the highs and the lows and the lessons learned. You have inspired and influenced me, and I’m sure many others, in ways you may not realize. Thank you and please carry on. I know there is much more to come for both of us.
Hi Christie – I’m so glad my journey helped you embrace yours. I think there’s too much competition out there and trying to prove our worth through productivity, and that then flows over into retirement if we’re not careful. I wanted to encourage people to feel good about living life at their own pace and that not being busy all the time is a joy – because it is! I would agree that some structure develops over time, but that’s flexible and on our own terms, which makes it so enoyable. xx
I love the idea of encouraging and supporting each other in living life each at our own pace. And, of course, being in tune to what that ideal pace is at any given point in our lives. As you have shown, that continually changes if we are open to the change.
Biggest congratulations on all your contributions in your career…and now, on your retirement, woo hoo.
However, doing as you like when you like is great advice to start with. Speaking as someone who knows. I had three retirements in the end. And I soon learned I need a bit of structure with my freedom.
I also like that the clock is not watched as much. It’s so good.
Take care, and run your own retirement race. Listen with your heart more than your head!!
Denyse
Thank you, Denyse. It is an exciting time! I have noticed already that the time of day or the day of week have become a lot less important, which I love. I’m sure the time will come when I crave a little more structure, but I hope I also maintain my appreciation for going with the flow. I so appreciate your advice to run my own retirement race and especially to listen with my heart. Thank you for those words of wisdom.
Congrats!! Retirement is the best time of life. You’ll love the freedom in your days. But you’ll also eventually establish some type of routine. The good thing is, it’s YOUR routine, not someone else trying to control how you spend your days. Don’t rush, go with the flow.
My first job, other than babysitting, was waitressing at a Country Kitchen restaurant. Lots of lessons learned!!
Thank you, Linda! You hit the nail on the head: I’m sure I will want more routine eventually, but it will be my routine. That sounds like exactly what I’ve been missing in the past year or so of working. I can imagine there are a lot of lessons to learn waitressing. That’s one job I never did. My first job beyond babysitting was selling sheet music at GEM Music (a small music store, not the production company), then later shoes at Rollnick Shoes. Neither of those places exist anymore, but I swear it wasn’t my fault!
Country Kitchen isn’t around anymore either. Considering I worked there about 48 years ago, that’s not too surprising!!
Almost 45 years for me, so yeah, not too surprising here either. Although the company I retired from has been around since 1935. That’s impressive!
I hope you write. A lot. 🙂 And share it to us.
And if you decide to do video, I’ve got all the fun tools you can use.
Thank you, Anneliese. I imagine writing will be on the horizon in one form or another. And if video resurfaces, I’ll be in touch to hear about those fun tools.
Congratulations Christie! You did it! ? I’m very happy for you, and looking forward to doing things together more often. Love you sister!
Funny side note, when I saw you blog this week I thought it said “I’m Tired” instead of retired. I thought, well, you’ll have plenty of time to rest now! (Maybe I’M tired, and projecting that into what I read.?)
That’s funny, Cindy. I admit, I’m a little tired too, but the nice thing is, now I can rest when I want to! XOXO
Brilliant T-shirt, and so clearly says what a fabulous relationship you have with your colleagues and how high in their esteem you’re held. What a lovely retirement momento for you.
I’m in midst of plans, building up my life coaching business to not just take over from my admin job, but to boost my earnings to a proper level once more. Himself & I each lost out financially in our previous relationships, so we’ve had to re-start. We’re doing fine, but to put down roots properly needs a bit more than fine. I’m both scared & excited, especially as I love doing the work.
Thank you, Debs. I really did have a great team and we worked well together. I am confident they will find a new balance and do great without me.
Good luck with the expansion of your life coaching business. All worthwhile opportunities are both scary and exciting. That’s one way you know you are on to something! Often it takes something like being forced to re-start to step out of our comfort zones and find what really engages us. Wishing you all the best!
Yup, so right. My (own) coach has something she calls ‘scited’ being a combo of the two and it’s a state she encourages me to learn to be comfortable in, ‘cos she’s moving me along that road to my future 🙂
Thanks for your best wishes.
I like that word: ‘scited. It’s a good state to be in.
Congrats!! And as others have said, welcome to the club! Like you, I do believe that the Universe will put opportunities in your path. In retirement, you have the time to notice them. You can try things on, and change your mind. I like to say my days are not often busy, but usually full. Full of things I want to do, things that bring me joy. And yes, quiet days to relax and sit and read a book if I want to – that can be a full day, too.
For me, missing the people interaction was the most challenging aspect of retirement. Identity was second. It will be interesting to see how you manage your transition — you’ve got some fun possibilities already. Oh, and my first job, not counting baby-sitting or “helping” my mom with work filing (she did pay me!) … Burger King. I actually still like getting a whopper every once in a while. 🙂
Thank you, Pat! I love that: my days are not often busy, but usually full. That’s what I’m hoping for. I will need to be intentional about human interaction, but I feel confident I can manage that. The identity thing will be interesting. I’m not sure what to expect there.
It’s been fun hearing about people’s first jobs. Thanks for sharing yours. We make the occasional stop at Burger King.
I think the Universe stepped in to force a little rest on us by having us contract mild cases of Covid. We haven’t been very sick but just can’t seem to feel normal yet either. Maybe because we truly needed some rest and it is just taking us longer to get back to normal.
I am glad you are just enjoying the peace of this moment in life. You are right, opportunities will present themselves. You will have some clarity about what you what and should be doing. But just catching your breath after 45 years of work is important and well deserved.
You asked what our first paying job was. Aside from babysitting, I was a waitress for years. Starting my senior year of high school, off and on through college and again as a single mom after a difficult divorce. Not sure I could still do it but would be willing to try if need be. Enjoying making a little extra money through Rover.com right now. My customers are four-legged these days.
I hope you are feeling 100 percent again soon, but in the meantime, take advantage of the much-needed rest. I am in awe of people who have waited tables. I’m not sure I could do it. Because of that, I am generous with tips unless someone is outright rude. I must say dog walking and/or sitting sounds like a lovely way to make some spending money and help out our furry friends.