Any advice for the about-to-be retired?
 

Hi quilt buddies,
I have about 46 more school days before I officially retire. Any advice - quilt related or not - is welcomed. We will have our house on the market (fingers crossed for that venture) and won't be settled into our condo in Florida until the fall. I anticipate noticing more changes in the fall when I would regularly go back to school than in the summer.
But, I would welcome any suggestions. (I am so looking forward to more quilting/creating time).
Thanks!
lots2do

No advice...just say welcome. I retired 8 years ago from teaching...counted down every day that year! Recently moved to Oklahoma...love every minute!

congrats on your retirement. since you are moving to a new area and may want to 'explore' the area, i would suggest volunteering for things like meals on wheels or transporting to medical appointments. i've met some great people that way and you learn how to get around your new town.

I left a job I loved and worried about retirement. That lasted about a minute. You will know what you want to do - if you get bored you can explore your surroundings. All I knew was that I was going to the gym 3 mornings a week and then I branched out made a few new friends and still left enough time for myself. I mainly do what I want with no pressure on myself. I think you will see how it goes and plan accordingly. Some people will quilt all day long - some will be outside in the fresh air and there are many options in between. So go with the flow and enjoy!!!!

Do what makes you happy!

Enjoy your retirement!! I have been retired almost 8 years now and am loving every minute of it!! Take some time to explore what you want to do. I had so many things I wanted to do that i overcommitted myself the first year---mainly with community volunteer activities. Eventually I got better at saying "no" and pared it down to a schedule I enjoy without overdoing it. Allow yourself to enjoy "piddling" as I call it---sitting in my Jammie's at 10am reading the paper is OK!!! Keep up some socializing with friends, don't let yourself get isolated and lonely. My husband never made the effort to make guy friends and rarely leaves the house. I have made lots of suggestions of things for him to do, but he seems to prefer staying home, but I also think he gets lonely especially when I travel. I don't think that is particularly healthy.
Also get a good handle on your finances and get comfortable with responsibly drawing down and living on your retirement income and savings. We worked hard and always had the "save" mentality---it was harder than I thought to get comfortable with spending savings now. Also, if you haven't already, get all your affairs in order---wills, advance medical directives, power of attorney, etc---you never know when the need for those will arise.
Have fun!!!

Well, the first thing I did when I retired was sort my button box. I guess I needed something easy and mind numbing to recover from my stress filled job. Then over the first year I 'tried out' many different groups, without committing myself to anything. Now, 5 years later, I have a nice balance of things I do. I have two weekly commitments that I try very hard not to miss - too much fun. I also have a few once a month commitments. This seems to be a nice balance for me of social time, solitary time, time with family, etc.

I think it really helped me to try things out that first year, without making any long term commitments to any group, so that I could leave the group gracefully.

Don`t worry about it. If you are like most of us on this board, I`ll bet you have some quilting projects , maybe a little yarn, needle point, embroidery work, I just made a picture of beads, I crochet a lot, this winter I made 40 neck scarves to give to homeless shelters ( not a good idea for Florida) I still have yarn left, so I made 2 afghans also for shelters, I still had yarn left, so I made large double thick hot pads to use to set large hot kettles & dishes on. I made baby quilts from pastel scraps, they go to our Golden house, In a few days a man `s family is giving him a benefit, because he has cancer, and can`t keep up with bills, so I give what I can in most of the above items mentioned. I`m sure you will find an out let for any of these things. Also do not forget, you were a Teacher and you could help some one with a learning disability, people who need better under standing of our language to fill out papers. Man I would like to live where it`s warm, but just can`t leave the snow birds, kids, grand kids, great grand kids & friends I`ve had since first grade.

Take it a day at a time and enjoy each to it's fullest. Like Jeanne S stated though make sure you have all your affairs in order. Then move on and enjoy. Congratulations!!