The Retirement Thread
85 lurkers |
176 watchers
3 Jan
7:39am, 3 Jan 2025
680 posts
|
OO61
Thought some might appreciate a poem I wrote when I retired. Sums it up really.... So now it’s finally come to pass, and the retirement day is near. And whilst I’m feeling full of joy, there’s an unexpected fear. It’s a normal cloudy morning but it feels like something’s wrong. What I did each day, come what may, will suddenly be gone. I’m parking this old motor in the garage one last time. And stepping off the greasy pole so long I tried to climb. No more Getty’ ups’ in the dark and winter snow. Or waiting for my plane to land in transit at Heathrow. The international travel will come grinding to a halt I’ll throw away my travel bag without a second thought. Airport meals and flying ‘no frills’ it’s really not that classy. With all those grumpy travelling folk at the airport getting ‘arsey’. It’s goodbye to my salary that sustained a comfy life. To spend more time with family- I feel sorry for my wife. I’m handing back the Company car, this model is not for me. My Q70 is the way to go, to reach Infiniti. Work is an endurance race, you work hard and the days are long. It’s lucky that I run so much and train for the Marathon. Now this race is finally ending and the finish line is near, 31 years sprinted by so fast, Usain Bolt should live in fear. To all my friends and colleagues- and there were quite a few, The very fact I stayed so long is really thanks to you. I lived in many countries and enjoyed a great career. The people and the places are the memories I hold dear. What you leave behind says quite a lot about the person you tried to be. So please be kind and keep in mind some happy thoughts of me. As I move on to pastures new there’s so much to be done, I’m stepping out on that cloudy day and into morning sun. |
3 Jan
8:21am, 3 Jan 2025
860 posts
|
gribb0
Interested to hear that others still dream about work. I only retired 2 weeks ago and have had a few dreams or maybe nightmares LOL. Glad to not be back at work yesterday! I think it is finally starting to dawn on me that I'm not going back. |
3 Jan
9:04am, 3 Jan 2025
9,177 posts
|
um
I still have dreams about work occasionally. Mostly about going back to US meetings then struggling to get my expenses paid. I can empathise with OO61's LHR and airport experiences. Since retiring I haven't taken a long haul cattle class flight. |
3 Jan
9:06am, 3 Jan 2025
79,388 posts
|
LipGloss
Lovely poem and sums up working life. Glad I’m retired as I sit here looking at how thick the snow is and know I don’t have to go and face the journey to work. |
3 Jan
9:14am, 3 Jan 2025
11,679 posts
|
Eynsham Red
@OO61 I’ll be retired five years in May and the majority of my dreams are work related! Strangely the people in the dreams are a blend of those that I worked with until I retired along with other former colleagues from a company that I left in 2008! I don’t recall dreaming about work before I retired. |
3 Jan
9:15am, 3 Jan 2025
73,001 posts
|
Velociraptor
Like that, @OO61 ! Happy birthday 🍾
|
3 Jan
9:18am, 3 Jan 2025
25,999 posts
|
geordiegirl
I think my brain thinks I’m retired I haven’t even thought about work which is unlike me, I’ll have a shock on Monday 😆 Hubby says his notice goes in on Wednesday it feels so scary I know the numbers work but it feels a big financial loss. |
|
3 Jan
9:32am, 3 Jan 2025
73,002 posts
|
Velociraptor
I haven't noticed the drop in income with retirement, mainly because in the last few years I was putting away a big chunk of my pay every month so that we could bridge the gap between retirement and state pension age.
|
3 Jan
9:38am, 3 Jan 2025
13,537 posts
|
Ally-C
I dream of a job I left in 2007 quite often bizarrely enough. Not any since. Sitting waiting on a train to London, flying out tomorrow for a week snowshoeing in the Dolomites. You canny beat retirement. |
3 Jan
10:00am, 3 Jan 2025
27,842 posts
|
Bazoaxe
I rarely dream about work and hope that it doesnt ever start ! I have started my return to work by getting my 2025 holidays in the diary - even those that I may not need to take as actual holidays 
|
Marmite Useful Links
FE accepts no responsibility for external links. Or anything, really.- Money Helper
- How Much is Enough to Retire On?
- Retirement Living Standards
- How much will you need to retire?
- Free Govt website for pension advice
- SIPP pensions
- ISAs
- Check your National Insurance contributions
- Check your state pension account
- Martin Lewis on pensions
- Support and advice for those widowed under the age of 50
- Power of Attorney information
- Making the most of your retirement
- 20 tips for a happy retirement
- Married Couple's Allowance
- Aviva guide to retirement planning
- U3A
- U3A Local Sites - map
- Make a Power of Attorney
Related Threads
-
Any pension experts out there?
Oct 2024
-
Writing a will.
Nov 2022
-
Energy Bills
Dec 2024
-
Saving Money Tips
Aug 2023
-
Any benefit geeks can help me?
Mar 2023
-
Selling things
Feb 2023
-
Anyone here freelance or self-employed?
Jan 2024
-
Accounting Question
Oct 2017
-
How do I declare extra income to the HMRC when I've always been on PAYE?
Oct 2016
-
Home book keeping for the compleat Fetchie
Mar 2024