Congratulations! I hope you enjoy every minute of it!
My philosophy is that I want to wake up every day and feel like I'm a kindergartner waking up on the first day of summer vacation. All those possibilities and excitement just floating out there in front of me!!
I agree with the others...take the first year off of everything. Just do what you want to do. See what appeals to you. Don't make any commitments to anything for at least a year.
I do think it wise to have some hobbies or some things of interest planned. My husband retired two years ago. The man had no interests or hobbies (he's impossible to buy bday presents for because he has no interests) and was bored out of his mind. He ended up going back to work as a consultant for his old company in just a few months, and works now more than he did when he really was working. It's kind of sad.
I'm going to retire in two years, and am following the advice of stock up now on spendy items....I'm going to buy a Crescendo sewing machine as soon as they're on sale. In fact, I'm so excited about that machine I may *not* wait for it to go on sale!
I do kind of wonder about my clothes. I finally have a nice collection of professional work clothes with which I am in love. (I didn't pay much for anything, it always had to be on sale/clearance AND a coupon to go with it; I inherited my mother's frugal genes.
) But there is a *lot* there.
I love my clothes and don't want to part with them, but it's ridiculous to keep all of them. I can't imagine where I would go that I would need much in the way of professional clothes. I'd be interested in hearing what others have done about their work wardrobes.
One thing I am going to do right away is be a hospice volunteer. You know how they're always needing people to stay with someone that last week, on the overnights. I want to be that person. And that is one place I will wear my nice work clothes. I want to show up looking my very best as I escort someone into the next life. I'm going to wear my pretty scarves and my pretty shoes and send them out in style.
I also plan to join a gym or the Y or some other exercise program, and go every day. I really want to lose some weight and get into better shape. I guess that's my number one goal for retirement. Take yoga classes. And piano lessons. And painting classes. Look into sculpture classes. Join a regularly playing quartet (I play violin). Maybe investigate water gardens. I have my own greenhouse...I'll probably start raising plants to sell. Do anything the grandchildren want to do. And take a photography class.
Right now I volunteer to take photos of people in assisted livings in November so that they can use the photo for their Christmas cards. It's a lot of fun. I bring props, such as hats, feathers, boas, canes, fans, gloves. The people have so much fun choosing which prop to use, and it brings some of their personality into the photo. And the props help them to relax and just enjoy their 'photo shoot'. Maybe I'll start going in once a month and do a photo shoot for everyone who has a birthday coming up.
So many possibilities! I can hardly wait!!!!