DnvrFox

I would be interested in other's "summing it up" about their "after retirement (or even their just now)" life. For me:

Some positives at age 66:

Upon retirement, I have literally "learned" to sing with singing lessons, and now have done several solos and a duet in front of several hundred folks. I have formed a men's ensemble which has also presented, and we are now preparing for our first "6 man (just maybe 7)" barbershop quartet presentation.

I have relearned what little I knew about guitar playing (40 years ago), and have progressed far beyond, and am now preparing a guitar/singing song which I hope to present this summer.

We are have greatly increased our "friends" and just had 20 to our home for a walk and a salad potluck - something we never had time nor opportunity for (we were pretty darned busy providing support for 2 profoundly disabled sons).

I am leading weekly bicycle rides, and am now the "guru" of bicycling in the area - although a NEW 25 years younger guy has just moved in 3 houses down. He rides a Specialized S Works Compact, and he officially races for a team. Grrr! I will have to throw some tacks out in the street.

I am bicycling just about 20 miles per day, (140 miles per week).

I mess around with BF, such things as the Rogue's Gallery, etc. Just for fun and mainly to learn new skills while doing it.

I continue to walk and lift weights.

We have done a bit of local traveling.

My wife's post-herpetic neuralgia is getting better. My atrial fibrillation was cured with last summer's heart ablation procedure and my trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is in remission. My BP this morning was 108/76 with a pulse of 60. It was running about 160/100 when I was on the meds for the TN.

Had lunch (dim sum) with my son and daughter-in-law, who will become multi millionaires July 27th as a result of settling a major national legal case in which they are the attorneys. When your son is totally paralyzed from the shoulders down, this is a REAL relief for us (and accomplishment for them)! Hey, they can take care of us in our old age.

Have a trip planned to New England.

Some not so positives:

Still need to lose 20+ pounds.

Wife needs (and is scheduled for) knee replacements.

Would like more money!!

Still fighting "the system" for a better day program for my son with a profound developmental disability. Have been doing this for almost 40 years, now.

Still continue to have basal cell skin cancers.

Haven't ridden across the country yet (or jumped tall buildings with a single leap)! (Don't plan on it, either).

So, life is pretty good, overall.


How about the rest of you?

Nightshade

My life is not nearly as colorful nor as busy as your's, mate.
That is Ok really as I'm a solitary person who enjoys my own
company and the peace it brings.

I've adjusted to not having to work and not having to 'be" anywhere
that made up my working life. I can ride, tinker , read , vist with
my wife and sons, or nap as I please which for me is luxury of
the first order.

That said.......
Life is good. Very good.

NOS88

Not retired, and can't see that happening for some time. The decision to help the kids with their college education pretty much means another decade or more of work. Have lots of other interests (guitars, photography, woodwork, gardening, etc.), but never seem to have as much time to devote to them as I would like. My family's health is good right now (knock on wood). Wife will need a new heart valve sometime in the future, but it's holding up pretty good right now. I'll need a hip replacement, but can deal with the pain a bit longer. Learning to sing; now that's of real interest to me. As a kid in church the choir director whisperd to me on more than one occassion, "It's OK to just move your lips." So, I'm not much of a vocalist, but would sure like to be. Was it hard to learn to sing?

centexwoody 

you sound wonderfully engaged with your family, your community, your fellowship and your physical & mental growth - at ANY age, this level of involvement would be enviable so count your blessings, brother, count your blessings

I appreciate that BF50+ is one of the recipients of your energy...

jm01

I'm now 56 and semi retired, have been between the office (i'm a headhunter), house, and cottage for the last few years, BUT, my wife retired FT on May 1 (she's only 54), so now its' more time at the cottage

Bought her a Santa Cruz Blur and a Trek 7300 as a retirement gift to add to her roadie, HT and rigid MTB's and we're spending more time at the cottage riding both road and trail, and we also XC ski there in winter...weather's been incredible this year.

bought our daughter a house 10 miles from the cottage as she works up there, and now we're a family again!

Also, we were planning an XC bike tour, Toronto to Newfoundland, but too much to do here, so now its on for next year.

Also...Rome in November...

...nice to be older some time

Louis

My situation parallels Tightwads post above so much that there is little more for me to say.

I have a handful of close friends who are like the family I never had.

I've always wanted to "simplify" my life and retirment has enabled me to do just that. Being alone with my own thoughts is very important to me.

capejohn

My wife retired 9 years ago. Consequently I work 7 days a week, often.

Most of my biking is commuting to work. I am lucky enough to travel to US team and Revolution soccer matches.

I recently went to the World Cup in Germany with one of my sons, and we got to ride bikes in Amsterdam.
Last week I rode in Boulder and in September we are riding in France.

The point is that working so much allows me and my family to do so much. We are not together often but when we are, it's very much quality. And... by commuting I get to ride my bike a lot.

Note:... I do buy a lottery ticket every day. Maybe just maybe....(stares off into space).

DnvrFox

I'll put this in a bit of context. I was singing in our church choir, but never quite knew what I was doing or how to do it.

I tried an introductory class a few years back, but literally had fun poked at me by the instructor in front of everyone else, so I quit.

My current teacher is wonderful - patient, fun, enjoyable. In addition to singing, it is my weekly therapy! She also bicycles.

Anyway, I have learned how to project my voice and get it out of my throat (what I got kidded for by the 1st instructor), have developed a decent vibrato and range, learned about how to pronounce words and use my mouth in different ways, and develop my voice. My pitch has always been pretty good. It has been fun and educational.

Who the instructor is is REALLY critical - especially for someone in his 60's. My wife also takes voice from her, and she teaches me guitar.

linux_author

- first retirement in '97 (military)...

- second retirement in early 2006 (after writing 21 books)...

- riding a bike three hours a day: Priceless

- For everything else, there's MasterWife™ - still working full time to support her house husband in retirement...

:-)

p.s. i'm now a domestique (cat sitter, gardener, chauffeur, cook, personal shopper, and pool boy)

NOS88

Thanks. I appreciate the response. I truly believe you can not sign a song and be the same person you were before the song started. Singing just changes you. I'm looking forward to adding voice lessons to things I want to do when I retire! My family will be relieved.

DnvrFox

It is on another thread, but just in case you missed it, this is our group (and me) singing:

goaliedad30

DnvrFox - It's so cool to hear you have picked up vocal music, especially the barbershop style! I've sung since middle school, and have sung and performed all over the world with top-level quartets. It turns out that one of the finest barbershop choruses in the world is based in Denver, and the lead of 2004 International Quartet Champions "Gotcha!" lives in Denver. I sang with the baritone from that quartet when he was just a young guy on his way up! (He's now almost 30, and a 'has-been'!! LOL) You can check out www.gotchaquartet.com for info on them ... Chris Vaughn, the lead, is the one who lives near Denver.

If you want more info about the barbershop music scene in Denver, PM me and I'll hook you up with some details.

Randy Meyer
(not 50 yet, but close enough that I lurk here once in a while!)
Returned to cycling after 18 years off the bike
Bass, Velocity quartet (2005 & 2006 Northern California champions)
Bass & Music VP, "Voices In Harmony" (www.vihchorus.org)

FarHorizon

After working for 25 years for a chemical manufacturing company, the company laid me off (prior to going bankrupt) with less than $40,000 in non-contributory retirement and no medical insurance. Fortunately, I had taken care of myself via a 401K, and will (hopefully) be able to retire in another decade or so (I'm currently 53).

Since being laid off, I have eschewed opportunities for employment at other chemical manufacturers and have, instead, set up my own safety consulting business. Using my experience and training from my former employer, I am a specialist in "process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals." My clients are chemical manufacturers, pipelines, and refineries.

I enjoy being world-class at what I do, and I invest significant time and money annually to keep at the top of my field. In fact, I'm traveling out of the country next month (at my own expense) for training not available elsewhere.

My only daughter is out-of-state working on her masters degree in music. My wife & I have a great deal of free time since my work is intermittent. I'm hoping to persuade my wife to ride with me on a tandem (her eyesight isn't good enough for her to be comfy on her own bike in traffic). Time will tell...

Coyote!

OK, so my experience is not retirement but probably what I'd call "life's lessons" in the form of two deadly bullets I've ducked. I don't point to any accomplishments [well DUH. . .survival], but every day, hour, moment I live seems to resonate with a spirit that was not there before. I'll give you this for free. There's nothing like denial of breath that will focus your attention on what's important in life. A touch from the wife and time with the dog expand to an importance that relegates the world of work, profit, effort and all that "important" stuff to the dungheap of priorities. I've come to call those deadly situations the act of being "hammered on God's anvil". One comes out the other side a changed being.

Still like bikin' tho'. . .more than before.

Travelinguyrt

Ahhhhhhhh retirement, for wimps and wusses
when the bod goes so followeth the mind
Retirement means white shoes, white belt white pants, bridge, golf, eating lunch with a wife every day,hips and waist measurements increasing every day, endless blood preasure meaurements and meds

Why don't we instead call it ACTIVITY, blast and dam leaving a job isn't the end of the world

DnvrFox

As my friend told me when I asked him a couple of years ago,

"What do you do when you retire?"

and he said,

"I go to medical appointments!"

Nightshade

Pardon me mate, but I'll take exception to this shallow narrow minded view point. I can tell you
that for many who reach "retirement" the body is broken down or worn out from decades of hard
labor in jobs that require hours of standing on hard man made floors (concrete) doing endless task
of repeition over and over. Bodies worn out from supporting families to the American Dream standard.

Bodies of good citizens cast aside by time and fellow man. The mind will go when the hope goes of ever
being able to enjoy that dreamed of rest from hard labor because the body will no longer support it.

You sir, are a cad for not according the Retired the respect they have worked for and earned as
good citizens who have weathered time with work contribution to thier society. Shame on you!

bruce19

Retired in '01 after 30 yrs. with the State of CT. Spent the first 3 yrs. being in charge of my father's life. Not easy when you are the only one and live 180 mi. away. At one point I was making the trip once a week for a year. Anyway, I now work P-T as a Private Investigator, ride my Ducati, ride my bicycle w/my girlfriend (hell of a term for a 53 yr. old woman) and am generally owned by my 11 mo. old Boxer. I do a lot of reading (focusing on Don Miguel Ruiz' "Four Agreements", any Carlos Castaneda, and lots of other stuff.) and socializing with friends. Life is excellent.

bruce19

megaman

In '02 I decided management was getting the best of me. So I stepped back. What a relief! My stress level really dropped, my attitude got much more mellow, I feel relaxed just about all the time.
I'm still working full time for a lot less money, but money isn't everything. I can enjoy my hobbies more than I ever could. My wife and I spent a lot more time together.
So, taking stock of my life I find that by a certain point you need to earn enough money so you can save enough to "coast" for a while. Smelling the roses is a great thing to do.
I just hope my generally good health lasts for another 50 years so I can do somethings I've always wanted to do.

Blackberry

Wow. Lots of interesting stories here.

I'm 52 and work in public relations for a university. It's a good job in lots of ways, but there are more than a few bulging, aggressive egos with PhD's that keep life interesting. Fortunately, I manage a team of two first-class people, and that really makes the job special.

Nevertheless, I'd retire in a minute if I could. There are so many country roads that are calling out to me and my bike, so many garden plots to dig, so many books to read, and plenty of volunteer activities I'd be happy to participate in.

But whatever comes along, I try to be sure that I laugh every day, that I remain grateful for the many, many wonders that are all around us all the time. And the rest of the world is (or should be) grateful that I don't try to sing in public.