I’ve always thought of life as one continuous thing as I was going through it. I never broke it down in stages. Maybe because it’s been kind of scrambled. I was doing a lot more mature things when I was young and sometimes behaving like a youth when much older. And too busy most other times to be concerned with anything other than surviving the next day.

As I was working throughout my career I wasn’t thinking about retirement till the last 4-5 years of it. And that was because I wasn’t happy where I found myself at the end of the run. It wasn’t that I disliked what I did though.

There were a few factors like the night shift which after many years was getting to me like it didn’t when I was younger. The new ownership and changes in upper management were something that I also thought was going in the wrong direction and the personal feel and draw it once had was gone. As were many old friends.

Here I am now 2 years and 3 weeks into what is coined “Retirement” and I’m loving it more each day. In some ways I’m still adapting to it. Sleep is still an issue. I go back and forth between establishing some routines and then going freestyle.

I think the word retirement gives some negative connotations. In some ways it could make one think of someone no longer being of use or being put out to pasture. That knowledge or value was no longer keeping up. Or maybe no longer working on anything.

I do know that even though I have Retired on my LinkedIn profile, I still get a lot of contacts about people wanting me to come back to work. Thanks, but no thanks, I’ve found some things I’d much rather spend the rest of my life doing and pursuing.

In some ways I didn’t think about retirement as I was going along for a few reasons. The ride was a wonderful one and why get off a train, that is so fun. And of course, the financial needs of providing for a family.

But the incentive I also had periodically was people my age and younger passing away. Not that I hadn’t had my own personal wake up calls a few times, but the balance of having enough money vs the time in life left to enjoy a few more days with my better half and children was swinging towards the latter.

Wanting to spend time with children and grandchildren, old and new friends was overwhelming. And experiencing some places, adventures, foods, loves, feelings and sights that work couldn’t make time for is something I finally have prioritized.

Just having the time to work on my favorite hobbies while doing these other things has been a great opportunity that not everyone is able to enjoy. So, I feel fortunate. I have friends my age and younger that probably can’t afford to retire.

We won’t be jet setting around the world. Don’t have the money or desire but some trips are possible, I hope. And we are smart enough to know that we can enjoy a day trip as much as an extravagant vacation.