I wouldn’t consider my life as a retiree to be boring. I enjoy it as it is and if I didn’t, I’d change it. At the moment I can lead my life as best I can under the given circumstances, which was not possible when I was forced to earn a living. How can an independent, autonomous life be boring? The monotony of the rat race was uninspiring and really boring. The idea of what is “boring” keeps changing over years and, thus, generations. So it depends on who would describe my life as boring. If it was young folks, I wouldn’t be surprised and dismiss it as irrelevant. If it were people of my age, then their living situation is probably different, meaning they’d have more money, fewer responsibilities, be in better shape. So what? I couldn’t care less if others would find my life boring as long as I’m satisfied. (Edited. )
@Thomas Stearn Somehow, with each passage you write, I feel more and more that I'm hearing a description of a working man's plight as it evolved over a working lifetime. "Forced to earn a living"......?? By whom, and in what way? If need be, re: your life as a retiree: I enjoy it as it is and if I didn’t, I’d change it. How might you accomplish ths? Personally, I would love to change my own plight, but I know not how...... Frank
Same here @Beatrice Taylor . We rarely go anywhere and even rarer for anyone to come here but we like it that way and I'm never bored.
Yes, thank you Jesus our life is boring! I use to ask the Lord for a tad of excitement in our lives... i forget you have to be very specific when you ask the Lord for anything. He would send me kids and , their kids to live with us . I stopped that real quick. Even after this trip we just took out into the grasslands and dirt of Kansas.. we couldn't wait to get home. Our children's lives still have to much drama for us. He usually up by 3:30 -at work by 6, until about 2ish when he gets off. I am up also, usually before him. The thing about being home and retired- I can do household stuff when ever.. I set my on schedule. I shop early mornings during summer so am back home by noon,if not before. I take a break from housework,whenever I feel like, and watch tv. I do get up and down a lot trying to make sure I do not sit too long. Yep, I won't bore you the rest of our days, but hey it works for us, and we relish it compared to the lives of others we know.
Well, perhaps compared to those that have money to do things, or more things, to those that don't have the money. As I always say, and will continue to say...….money can/does play a major part in retirement and/or lifestyle.
Money helps only a little...it's not the answer. I'd still be alone even with money...it's not lack of money that's causing my boredom. Just tired of doing things alone.
The good Lord wakes me up each morning and gives me another chance to get it right! If I’m bored, it’s because I decide to be bored. I do not need the high life, vacations or whatever seems to thrill other people because frankly, when I look around me there is so much going on it keeps my brain totally occupied. I’ve seen just about everything I wish to see, gone where I wished to go, done what I wished to do and then some throughout my entire life so now what may be boring to some is just fine with me. If anything, there are times when I just wish my brain would take a break and relax for a while but the likelihood of that happening barring some accident is slim to none. Nearly everything is thought worthy and that which evades conclusion astounds me which begins another cycle of amazement! Even now I find myself bird sitting one of God’s creations with a broken wing. Now what, pray tell, can a casino or a night out on the town do to match that!
I agree that it really would make things different if we had more money, and I would love to be able to travel more, even if Bobby didn’t want to go. If we could afford to do things like that, I would take a train trip (or two) across America, just sight-seeing, and I would go on a short cruise to the Bahamas or the Caribbean. I would go to Memphis and visit Graceland, and I would go out west and spend a week or so near the Pacific Ocean beaches. But, of course, those places are just impossible dreams, and our life does not consist of such wonderful times. Actually, boring is probably a decent description of our lives, and we do pretty much the same things every day. Going to the fitness center and swimming is usually what I look forward to the most, winter and summer. I love water, and I love swimming, even though I am not one of those proficient swimmers who glides through the water like a streamlined fish. I look more like someone’s pet Labrador that has jumped into the pool and is paddling enthusiastically along. Summer here is too hot and muggy, winter is cold, wet, and totally dreary. The little bits of spring and fall when the days are nice are the ones I look forward to the most. However, we do NOT have drama in our lives, and I would much prefer the day-to-day existence we have than days filled with drama ; so boring though it may be, life is good.
Hope that little birdie will be fine in your good hands Bobby - so rewarding to care for a little creature
Yes, Frank, you didn't mishear that. You're right, I could have said: "during my working life" or used another, more neutral expression but didn't because I wanted to convey that I could have done without having to go to work in order to earn a living. But since I didn't have enough money conditions forced me to. Here I was referring to the following phenomenon. Maybe some of you have had a similar experience. People tend to think they know what is the best thing for you to do. When I was about to retire, quite a number of people both at work and in my personal environment kept asking the one (obvious) question: "I hear you are going to retire. So what will you do as a retiree?" Some of them expected to hear that I'd be travelling the world and the other faction expected that, at least, I would do some work on the side, engage in some social activity or whatsoever. My negative answer to those suggestions came as a bit of a disappointment. They (wrongly) assumed I could only be satisfied with my life as a retiree if I did one of the those two things because they themselves would do it that way. But I told them not to worry. I'll be fine and what I do will be the right decision. My plight is mainly one of the past always raising its head when I'm looking back or when I have to compare working life with retirement. Goes without saying that you can't change everything but only certain things.
Will totally agree with you, Chrissy. I've never made that much money in my life, but still had enough to have some fun with, but ALWAYS wanted a lady to share that "fun" with. So, so lucky I found her...….my wife.
Well, there are those retirees that sell their house, buy a motorhome and travel everywhere. I have a high school graduation classmate that, her and her husband, done just that. They kept their small car and haul it behind their motorhome. From reading their travels on Facebook, they are having a ball. Only problem is, she has to do all of the driving, because he can no longer see well enough to drive anymore. One thing for sure they AREN'T, is bored. Absolutely no way. Of course they are both retired with pensions and SS...…..which makes things a whole lot easier.