My best days are when I have vacation (still working), and I will run the log splitter, clean the pool, or do other projects around our farm by myself with no one else home. I never seek out people to talk to, and get antsy when I am in that situation...much more of a silent observer in large groups, but good one on one.

Rapetwa seems to think that only his hobbies qualify as acceptable for enjoying a long fruitful retirment. I hope to travel more in my RV travel trailer, and have a big garden/greenhouse in a few years...different strokes, for different folks.

At the risk of being egotistical I'll repeat this as I think it important...

"You see I'm not afraid of dying, I'm more afraid of not living. "

I've been fully retired for 4 years now and don't miss a thing about working. Getting old is a bit of a PITA with bum legs, bad feet, etc. The thing I now realize is how fast the years go by.
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30 years ago I said I would retire and coach rowing and restore 911s. I retired 4 years ago and started my dream company which has sort of gotten out of hand. I think in the last 4 years I can count the number of days I've "worked" on one hand. Have loved every single day of it but I'm pretty sure I'm no longer retired. Mostly because I have 5 other passions I want to pursue. So someday I'll retire again, want to start an international streetfood sandwich food truck. :)

I honestly have no idea how people retire and don't do anything.

“We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.”
-Confucius

I've had about 5 or 6 lives so far, each one has been my best, at the time.

I stay as busy as I desire to....Mother Nature, elderly parents, a few houses, and land takes care of that...the "to do" list just keeps growing. I have a breech in one of my ponds that needs attention....but it doesn't bark like a puppy so it waits....not even on the top ten yet ;).

City folks are strange to me also....just different strokes...

Rat race much? I'll pass...:)

I don't understand city people either. I love the city for restaurants, art and culture, but it's too limiting for doing anything with your hands. I have the best of both worlds where I am now.

I guess one man's rat race is another man's lifelong learning, creating, building. I'll be 52 in 3 weeks but I love being 10 years old forever now.

If it makes you happy...then keep on keeping on...if not, then change course imo.

A bad day for many city folks is not being able to go to some cultural/sports/social event late into the evening...a bad day for most country folks is having to go to the city.

+1

Everyone's situation is different, but I had noticed one pattern over the years: those people who had less control over their work environment were the first to hang it up. Others, such as independent professionals, or business owners, stayed on longer.

In my last 15 years of law practise, I got very selective on what I took on.

Woke up this morning to a fairly heavy frost for here , sure felt nice to say screw it and stay inside and drink more coffee . Friday is our bank and grocery day , didn't leave the house until 10:00 . No traffic or lines at the bank and grocery shopping was a breeze . Was home by 12:00 . Retired life is good for us .

I work from home as my own boss. No stress at all. My tough today was to send out some statements to some clients, and balance the checkbook on the company books, and chat with one client and one vendor. Phew.

I often don't put on any shoes until I have to go get the mail. On occasion I go flying and have to drive to the airport to our hangar. Then come home and run the project through some programs.

Often the mean boss's wife (to be very clear, the wife of the mean boss) makes me go help her in the garden or wash her car in the middle of the day. Just today she made me drive her to the mall to pick out her birthday present and made me pay for the earrings. I get even with that jerk boss by sleeping with his wife and drinking his beer.