" Before , I did this when I had time . Now , I can do it full - clock time . '
Retired people, I envy you; aging is nothing to fear! Recently, I decidedto askretirees in theBuzzFeed Communitywhat they do with all their time now that they’re retired, and OMG, their answers were enlightening. Here are some of the best:
1."[The] first thing we did was move out of the city to the mountains. Then we got twodogs."
2.“Once the day breaks I am ready for a 20+ mile bike ride which takes me [about] 80 minutes. If it’s spring [or] summer I tend to yard work (lawns, fruit care, home upkeep), [and] during winter months I continue to bike ride.”
3.“I took a summer job for two years where I learned to fly a drone. A very, very big drone, which dropped mosquito larvicide for mosquito control. Probably the best job I ever had.”
4.“I am 74 (wife is 78) and I’m still working two days a week. She’s been retired for a decade. [On] my days off I engage in physical activity such [as] playing golf, riding [my] bike, and walking. We are blessed with two grown successful children, both [of whom are] now parents who are not afraid to ask our opinions.”
5.“Retirement in the U.S. varies widely depending on savings and Social Security income. Fortunately, we lived frugally and saved, so we took trips toHawaii, Alaska, and Europe.”
6.“I traveled the world relentlessly for ten years, including two world cruises. (What an amazing world!)”
7.“I sail on cruise ships to beautiful places with friends — various tropical islands and several European countries. In between cruises I get high and purge an accumulation of 60 years' worth of ‘stuff,’ [which] I donate to charity.”
8.“Watch baseball.”
— Dave
9.“My parents are retired and they spend their time being basically the best grandparents ever.”
10.“I participate in Silver Sneakers exercise classes and serve as a board member of United Cerebral Palsy of Georgia. I walk, bake banana bread for gifts, and travel with my husband. Finally, [I conduct] LOTS of decluttering!”
— Anonymous
11.“I make breakfast for my spouse and mother-in-law, [and] make needed calls for my wife as she works online and can’t talk. [I] clean house [and] go to stores for needed items. Make lunches for [my] mother-in-law and wife — two different diets. Take care of any yard work needed, empty trash, [and] prep dinner for four people: my son lives with us.”
12.“My wife does whatever she wants, whenever she wants and has the money to afford it.”
13.“My parents are retired and I’m pretty sure they and their other retired friends spend about half of their time playing pranks on one another, from stealthily placing random yard inflatables in their front lawns to hiding hundreds of super tiny plastic ducks all throughout each other’s homes. They have too much fun.”
14.“I bake—a lot. I have a small patio garden. I watch my 3-year-old grandson a couple days a week. I take my teenage grandchildren to our water park every weekend.”
15.“I got bored and went back to work at a local college. I get the summers off and I volunteer at a soup kitchen where we prepare meals for 170 kids a day. It keeps me busy and I always plan four trips a year.”
16.“My friend went back to [substitute teach] after retirement. [i] asked, why did he retire? [He] said, “[The] district gave me $85k cash, golden handshake.”
— frenchieboss
17.“Cleaning carpet. Fixing leaky faucets. Fixing leaky toilets. Fixing garage door openers. Planting grass seed. Crunching numbers on spreadsheets. Meeting friends for lunch. Going to car shows. Working out.”
18.“Five months into retirement at age 68, I don’t do anything I don’t want to. No more timelines, production reports, or managers worrying about things less important than production.”
19.“My wife passed away. I really don’t do much: watch my grandson, watch way [too] much TV, and play video games. Really need to go back to work.”
— Bob
20.“I’m now 82. I work on computer music and occasionally art (I was an arts grant recipient in 1976).
21.“I love water, so I’m in the pool every Monday to Friday starting at 7 a.m. for two hours.”
22.“I have an art room where I go every day. I take classes in mixed media collage and art journaling. I make any kind of art I want and I do it to please myself. It is not for sale.”
23.“Every day is a Saturday except Sunday.”
— Yooper65
24.“I help my neighbors. Some brush removal, some handyman tasks, some hard-scraping around their houses (walls, pathways, drainage projects).”
25.“I got bored and started a little e-commerce business in my garage. I thought it would be a nice easy retirement job. Ha, now busy as heck and make more money than I ever did working, but enjoying it.”
— James
26.“I start my day by going to the gym for two hours. Those people [who] knew me in the past would faint if they heard that… lol!”
27.“I write and record rock songs on my computer.”
28.“I volunteer at two hospitals. Gets me out of the house, gives me social interaction, and keeps me thinking of others. The employees really appreciate it because if I don’t do my tasks, they have to do them.”
29.And finally: “I just live. I wake up with no alarm, read the news in my bathrobe, pet the cat. I have some breakfast, usually cottage cheese and fruit, then I get dressed casually, then maybe run some errands, go to the gym.”
IDK about you guys, but that last one is my absolute ideal life, and I am going to be working hard to attain it. If you have any thoughts, please, feel free to share them down below!
