John V6, beast wishes for your long and happy retirement.
Sospan`s employers would seem to have been considerate in terms of providing a worthwhile pre-retirement education relative to how best to adapt to the likely changes that lie ahead and the variety of ways a retiree might face.
I suspect that it may be a natural human instinct to require a sense of place and a sense of purpose in order to sustain a feeling of self worth..?
I worked for 50 years and could have retired 5 years before I actually did, and during those 5 years I gave more thought to retirement and quite how I might pass my time in retirement. Fortunately I did not operate in a dog eat dog environment thus I had a good working relationship with the folk around me on a day to day basis, and I seem to miss them more than I imagined. Also the problem solving aspect of my employment was ever that which provided a sense of worth.
I suspect ever being a hands on type, working on m/cycles, cars, boats, as well as home extensions and landscaping around the home, with an interest in photography, and now having built even larger garage than I had before, and grass to cut as well as general property maintenance on an ever larger home..... I have plenty of things to pass my time with... however.. it seems to me that I spend more time wearing the cushions on this chair out than much else, more so in Winter.. As our American cousins might say... Go figure..?
I suspect retirement as a process of change can affect each of us in different ways dependant on our makeup. I have friends who like many here have taken on responsible positions in society in their retirement as well as a variety of hobbies, but to ME it all just seems like just WORK, and I feel I have worked more than enough... Each to their own..?
