Are you curious what retirement looks like? I know I was for at least the last 10 years before retiring at age 57. Since I know that we’re more alike than different I know you’re also wondering and fantasizing about what you would do in retirement. Read on to see what the first 60 days of retirement is actually like.
Health
Meditate
First of all, I wanted to have better health. I was waiting on a lab result during my regular physical check up a few years ago. My doctor told me not to worry for my job will kill me before any disease or sickness will. He’s a good friend and was kidding but work is stressful.
The mere commute to and from work is stressful when you live in Los Angeles. Furthermore, when you work as a nurse manager, stress is a close companion and you must befriend it before it kills you. Therefore, I made a promise to myself that I would meditate each morning. I have kept this promise.
Eat Healthy
Also, eating a healthy salad instead of going out for sushi, ramen or greasy Greek food, has made me feel lighter. Retirement has helped me to stop obsessing about food. It seems like the redundancy and consequently boredom at work contributed to overeating.
Activities
I used to be one of those annoying people who asked my friends who didn’t work full time, “What do you do all day?” I now know the answer to this irritating question. I didn’t want to spend the first 60 days of my retirement sleeping, so I created a daily calendar. It looks something like this: get up, meditate, drink coffee, garden, have lunch, walk, make dinner, watch a movie with Chris, then sleep. After 60 days of this routine, I’m still amazed how quickly the day passes. There is no pressure, just peace and quiet. I do miss my dear friends at work. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and hence the lock down, I’ll have to wait to visit them.
Exercise
My favorite activity has been walking, perhaps because it’s springtime. The sweet smell of Pink Jasmine, crisp air, and Clivia that are in full bloom, have all made the first 60 days of my retirement more welcoming than I imagined. Exercise has always been an important routine in my life. The only difference in retirement is that instead of listening to “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, I rock to Taylor Swift’s “You Need To Calm Down”.
Korean Drama
I’ve added something to my routine that I never had time to do while working, which was watching Korean drama. Binge watching Crash Landing on You, Vagabond, K-2, and Itaewon Class has been more fun than I ever thought it would be.
Hobby
I love creating; perhaps it’s how I compensate for delaying gratification in financial affair of my life. Transforming a yard filled with ugly weeds and renovating a dilapidated house and two ways I tap into my creativity. I added painting to this mix. One of my favorite past time is painting while listening to books on Audible.
Money
The Stock Market dumped over 30% within the last two weeks due to the Coronavirus pandemic. And it’s still falling as I write this post. It isn’t great to start the 60 days of your retirement with this huge shock to your stocks. Well, what can I do? Buy more stocks, of course.
Aside from this, I haven’t really haven’t thought or worried too much about money. Saving money in an emergency account to weather the storm like this has been a smart thing to do. Before retiring, I knew that I would spend less on clothing, transportation, and eating out. This has been true. My expense has reduced drastically in other areas such as in wine consumption. I don’t feel the need to drink as much. One glass of wine after a day of work can add up three per week at the cost of $30 per week, $130 per month, or $1560 per year.
Feeling
I do feel guilty occasionally because I have been so content during the first 60 days of retirement, in spite of the pandemic, the lock down, and the stock market crash. I also feel a little helpless because my nurse colleagues are dealing with a different crisis in health care than ever before and I’m not there to help them. Above all, I feel fortunate and grateful for retiring when I did.
Most noteworthy, the best part of retirement is:
- I could do nothing all day and not feel guilty.
- Fridays aren’t the best day of the week anymore, every day is.
- I don’t know what day of the week is today.
- Time no longer equals money.
- Retirement is working at living, rather than living at work.
- I’m finally my own boss.
I had to pick just one word to describe what retirement is, it’s FREEDOM.
