Retirement wishes

Retirement wishes - Special note: If you are looking for sayings or 'good wishes' for someone's retirement party or quotatoins to use in a retirement speech, go to

Have you ever daydreamed about you time after you are finished with full time work? Some people have not. They can not imaging themselves getting up in the morning and NOT going to work. But it is possible to retire. And it is worth taking some time to think about and list some real Retirement wishes.

Why not do it right now. If money and health were no problem what are 5 things you would like to do in retirement? Seriously. think of a few things right now. You can even jot them down on paper or open your word pad or make a short office document.

You can start a new list of Retirement wishes every week...or add to an old one. This is something important. Doing it every week allows you to imagine a life after your full time work is over. If you have a spouse, both of you need to make lists. Then every so often compare lists to see if you have anything listed in common.

I suggest doing making such a list....and to keep updating it right up until the time when you plan leave full time work. It will help you transition into your life after the job.

You can even expand your list to include all the things you would like to learn and all the places you would like to see before you leave this world.

Why make lists of Retirement wishes?

One of the things that many retirees do not expect after they retire is just how much of a gap they feel by not having day to day connection with co-workers, or seeing the server at the coffee shop or the security guard on the ground floor. Few workers realize how much seeing the same people each day played in their lives. And retirees often miss this part of 'going to work' more than the job itself. That is why it is good to have a list of Retirement wishes and to plan on doing at least one of the things on your list in the weeks right after you leave your job.

Also, you need some plans for home life. Yes, you do need to have an initial plan for the first few weeks.

What will you do when you get up in the morning?

How will you spend your day.

This is especially important if you are married. Some couples have come close to divorce when they are suddenly placed in close proximity for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week - after not living like that for years.

Some of my women friends said that they 'thought they would go out of their mind' when husbands began sitting in the kitchen or following them around the house in the first weeks after retirement. They were used to having the kitchen ...and indeed most of the house..to themselves. Now suddenly there was someone 'hovering' all the time.

But there is another aspect. Retirement is a two person affair. You can not expect that one person will go on working full time in the house....while the other has no job at all. That is why it is important that couples make a Retirement wishes list. There may be wishes about more sharing the household tasks AND you need to talk about these. You do need to make some plans.

It is good to have some specific plans for your first few weeks - a trip, doing a garden, cleaning out the garage (hmmmm.) or starting an activity you have always wanted to do but never had the time. Yes, your first big need after retirement is for something that will use your physical and your mental energy...something that you have thought of doing for so long, that you are just 'ready to go'.

You can prepare for a smooth retirement transition. For many people travel is at or near the top of their Retirement wishes. If this is true for you, you can make it happen. Even if you are on a tight budget, there are ways to travel. And if you begin planning now, you will have time to find home exchanges, inexpensive but pleasant bed and breakfasts or pension arrangements. And if you are planning to travel overseas, remember that in many countries convents and monasteries take overnight guests and their fees are most reasonable.

If travel is on your list of Retirement wishes, begin collecting brochures. Read about the places you want to see. Start collecting articles. Pick up a few books.  Put your travel list in some sort of order - place you want to go first. Talk. If you have a foreign country on your list, consider starting some language lessons. You might even want to see if you can find one of the old Baedecker manuals about the country. Find some first person accounts by other visitors or by people who live there. Read some of the poetry, find pictures by some of their best artists.

All these things will make your visits more interesting and more rewarding. And the inhabitants of the places you plan to visit will be pleased that you have taken time to learn a few things before you arrive.

Of course, you can not be traveling all the time. A few months into your retirement, it will be time to 'take stock'. Ask yourself if you are happy....if you feel you are still contributing to society. If you have been working all your life, there is a lot you know. Many schools, church groups, non-profits and even neighbors would love to have someone with your skills and talents.

There are youngsters who just need an adult to pay attention to them - someone who learned how to have enough discipline to stay in school or get and keep a job. There may be nursing home residents who would be delighted for someone to visit. There may be a prison who could use someone to tutor or teach a skill. There are always hospitals in need of volunteers.

I remember Eleanor. She never had children of her own. But in her retirement she went to the local hospital each week to hold babies in the nursery. Many of these babies were born with HIV or addicted to drugs. Eleanor held them, crooned them, sang to them. Such a wonderful gift to those babies (Research shows that children who are not held as babies often do not develop as they should) And for Eleanor, it was a delight - something that she looked forward to every week.

If you enjoy your computer, you might decide to join the ranks of infopreneurs.  You will earn a bit of money and you get to share some of what you know with others. See: what will you retire to?

So think about your Retirement wishes. Plan for them and you will find this last stage - the one that comes after full time work - is one where you learn more, feel more fulfilled and are happier than you ever were before.

Scroll down this page to the stories of the 3 Retirees to get a whole new view of possible Retirement wishes that you could make your own.

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