Retirement is It to be Feared or Revered

Retirement (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

Retirement (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

Retirement according to Wikipedia is the point where a person stops employment completely, the official retirement age varies from country to country, in Cambodia for example its 55 but for most country’s it’s around the 65 mark in the UK its 68

 When I sold my business on 23rd March 2012 just three months before my 70th birthday I officially became retired, now five months on I can now reflect a little on just how it is to be retired.

What if any difference will there be in my life, will it be like being on holiday not just for a few weeks but for ever, and how will I adjust to my new lifestyle?

These and many other questions went through my mind, leading up to that date, well I now have a much clearer picture on how life is with me now I am retired, the things I have noticed that are different, and how I am handling a more sedentary regime.

One of the first things I noticed, or should I say discovered, was that daytime television was mind-numbingly dull  unless of course there was cricket or football on and then I could survive the torment.

What with house selling programs bargain hunt programs not to mention the second rate foreign as well as the home bred soap operas; I soon discovered that the TV was not going to be a big part of my leisure time activities.

Although I love the garden I have to admit I am not one of these that are classed as “A keen Gardener”  but saying that I do take care on the lawn, and it now gets a lot more care and attention now than it has ever done.

Obviously the odd trip out to the countryside is now not just for the weekends and a trip to the supermarket is a lot less tedious as I have no time limits, I don’t have to rush home and get on with other jobs, and we can even stop for a coffee, but it’s still not one of my favourite pastimes.

If any jobs need doing in the house I have always tended to “get a little man in” so I can’t jump on the DIY bandwagon, so what the hell do I do now that I am a man of leisure?

I now go to the gym once a week, I really enjoy that and it gets me away from the house, this keeps the wife very happy, which is always a bonus, I have joined a wine club, they have a monthly meeting with wine tasting and talks on a whole host of things, I love horse racing and an occasional trip to one of the three racetracks near me Fontwell, Plumpton and Goodwood is a real treat, and Ascot is not that far away, but most of my time now is devoted to my true love, Writing.

I could never find enough time, it always seemed to get squeezed in between other things but now I can if I wish, spend the whole day researching and studying subjects for my next piece.

Retirement is wonderful and that includes the passing of the dreaded 65 old age pensioner zone, I now take the bus (For free) rather than use the car thanks to my OAP bus pass, I get cheaper train fairs so more trips to London are on the cards, it’s cheaper now, to get into country houses, zoos, even safari parks and many other places of interest.

Conclusion: I love being retired.