After I retire 45 days from now (not that I am counting down or anything), do y'all reckon I will be able to entertain myself all day long with a brick of .22s, a Marlin 39A, and a K22 just like I could when I was 15?

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Georgia On My Mind

Oh, I'm sure you will have a much fun while those firearms entertain you. I hope you enjoy all your free time.

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YouJustCantSeeMeLaughingIsAll

Might not get "all day long" out of a brick. You'll sure enjoy the retirement though !!!

"Better to wear out than to rust out." I've known enough retirees who've told me that they've had too many friends who retired, just sat around, and were gone in 18 months-they died of boredom. Also too many retirees have told me now everybody thinks you have lots of free time
and are available for babysitting, chauffeuring. "helping out" with the church or club newsletter, etc. Nothing like a well earned retirement of course as long as you have realistic expectations.

Leaving work and giving up on life are 2 different things. A person should never stop moving and doing something even if it's seems menial.

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YouJustCantSeeMeLaughingIsAll

Retirement is great IF:

1. You can afford it. That is probably best discussed in another thread so as not to hijack this one.

and

2. You have something to do.

I retired, looked forward to it for the last five years of my career. I loved what I did, still love the people, but, as I am sure you have heard before, not too many people, at the end of their life, say "Gee, I wish I'd have spent more time at the office."

God has only programed so many beats into my heart, and I want to enjoy those I have left.

I have played, and played hard, every single day since my retirement that I could. I was sick for a couple, had some engagements for 6 or 7, helped a few people out with law stuff for another 6 or 7, and the weather was really too foul for a couple more. Then there have been 3 or 4, like today, when I had workmen coming to the house to do stuff.

Otherwise, every single day I played. My passion is trap shooting and I can shoot at the Silver Dollar seven days a week from November through April, and five days a week from May through October. I also go to other venues to shoot.

On the days it is closed in the summer, Mondays and Tuesdays, I reload, or shoot rifles or go to the gun shops or maybe all three.

My wife, who has some time to go before retirement, has the trap shooting bug, too, so we shoot most days when she's off.

I was ready to retire-I had the $ and I had something to do.

Hope your retirement is as happy as mine has been.

Bob

Sir, I hope you have a GREAT time! Sounds like you've got a plan, plus you've got all of us to keep you company.
I always figured it would never be possible for my Wife and I to retire, I figured she'd probably have to kill me, if we were always together. I've already decided I'll probably never retire, but last year she did, just before she turned 49. I gotta admit it's been pretty good. I'm self employed and have been since I was 20, almost 25 years now. When I'm busy I might work 65 hours a week or more. Then there are times like now when it's not much at all. We're together a lot, and it's been one of the best times in our 20+ years of marriage. I get out just enough to keep us sane, and it's been great. I wish you all the best in this new stage of your life.

I've been retired from LE for the last six years.
Every day is Saturday, except Sunday, then it Saturday all over again. Good Whiskey, Ribeyes and Shootin'.
Teaching my grandkids all they need to know to survive in this
new world.

Rule 303

I've been retired for a little over a year now, and even though it was forced on me, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, other than meeting my wife(she's standing behind me). I use to laugh at my dad and other retired folks about them saying there isn't enough time in the day but they were right. Hope your retirement is happy and long. Larry

Once you fill your days with the things you didn't have time for while working, you'll do just fine. It takes a while to adjust; longer for some than for others.

Welcome to the club!

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VIVERE MILITARE EST

I've been retired 13 years and I believe you'll find your time will be spent on many other things besides shooting. You'll also wonder how you got anything done while you were working. Unless you are a couch potato, you may not have enough time to fill your busy needs. Retirement is not for the lazy. It's for those with energy and the ability to keep themselves busy. The lazy die too soon. I will admit, I use my range membership more in the winter than during the nice summer months. Also, retirement does give me spare time to varmint hunt and the free days in the winter for deer season. Good luck.

I am busier, it seems, than ever in retirement. A personal "problem" affecting that is I no longer need to schedule stuff as was the case when working. Thus I tend to waste a bit (actually a lot) of time each and every day.

That said, I travel, work in the yard, play golf, keep the cars clean, mow the grass, play golf, drink beer, and travel some more.

All is very good, indeed.

Be safe.

Retired in '02.
I wish I could find the time to go shoot off a brick or two...
We try to get to the range at least 1 Saturday a month - Some month's we just can't free up a Saturday night.
How in the world did I ever find time to go to the office every day?????

HAVE FUN

Here's some free advice --- Throw your watch away (or at least hide it).

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In dog years I'm dead.

I know you will enjoy your retirement. I have been a retired LEO for four years this month and feel like a two ton weight has been lifted. My blood pressure was 210 before I retired and now it is 110 to 115. Stress will kill you if you do not get a handle on it. As for me, I still teach Firearms instruction part time and gunsmmith my guns sort of a hobby-gunsmith. I collect military firearms and S&W pre-1900 guns. I completely disassemble and assemble them for enjoyment and to keep my brain occupied each day. Last month, I enrolled in a three day advance tactical pistol course with the Frank Garcia Universal Shooting Academy in Florida. I am a Gun Club Of America member and decided to take the Practical Gunsmithing Course they offer. I enjoy challenging tasks and now that my wife is retired, we partake of things together and enjoying life before our demise. I turned 69 this past Sunday and still wake up each day and thank God for a new day to enjoy. You can do the same and don't become a couch potatoe. Retirement can be enjoyable and it is what you make of it. Congratulations.

I think its necessary to learn to say no to others who view you as their gofer boy. My dad said he wanted to go back to work, just so he'd have the free time he was used to.

22s cost pretty much these days, if you can even find them. You may discover you'll end up spending a fair amount of time seeking ammo.

I was never rich (well, except maybe now I'm comfortable.) But I did discover in my illspent youth that I'd had as much fun with a single box of 22s as my over indulged buddys had with a brick. I never could get the knack of burning up box after box and not hitting anything in particular. Those were the days of the early Ruger 10-22. But at least at the end of the day, impoverished me still had a few rounds left over. The semi-auto guys were all dry.

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Dick Burg

Prior to retirement, I made time to enjoy my hobbies. Now, I'm just too busy doing other things, and loving every minute of it. If I had continued working, I'd be dead now. I thought I enjoyed work, but now with four years of no meetings, no midnight phone calls, not having to be PC, it is the best move I ever made. Stress kills. Enjoy your retirement, you deserve it.

If not, fire up dat grill, and give me a call.....

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I don't know how I found the time to work. Since I retired two years ago I can't seem to find the time to shoot as often as I did while I was "working"


grizz

Just finished up 27 plus yrs as a cop. Between the new boat, excercise, library, kayak, and bike riding, I don't know where the time flies off to. Retirement is sweet.

I'll be retired 16 years come July. Had two kids in school when I retired; now they're out of college, gainfully employed, and pushing 30; one married with a grandson, one still single with a horse. So things change even in retirement.

I still read a lot, gunsmith, tinker, and shoot a fair amount of .22s. Those things have kept me sane (well, sort of) for a long time now, still do.

I am one of those "couch potatos" ya all warn against. Definetly the other side of the coin. After reading I better check, I shoulda been dead at least 20 years ago! My wife takes good care of me, she hardly has me lift a finger. I been retired a little over 10 years. I had a couple rough years hideing out when I lost my nose due to cancer. It made me lazier yet. I do like getting out every day for awhile or I go nuts. Day before yesterday we did about 50 miles on our quad. Day before that I went shooting. Yesterday I did work more than usual though on the yard thats unusual for me. Also I am about to take some flying lessons as I just passed my physical. I got my license about 40 years ago but havent been active for about the last 20 years and my plane is almost rebuilt. I really had to fight to get my medical this time!
Retirement was a big shock for me to get used to as I worked at least 65 hours a week for 35 years, however it was easy or I couldnt have done it if it was hard like roofing or whatever. I was single when I retired. The first two months I would get in the truck and just take off not knowing where I was going! The wife and I got married 6 years ago. I will be 69 the end of the month and she is about 17 years younger. At least she is ambitious compared to me!

I retired in 1999 at 46 years of age after 27 years with the big city
Po-Po.
We traveled some, had my little gun shop all cool...
Get a call from my old PD in Dec 2008 asking if I and the bride(ret.leo) if we would like to come back for a special project(cold cases) for 6 months at really stupid money...in a good way.
We agreed and came back to the naked city, 18 months later we are still here.
Just kinda neat being back.
Enjoy your retirement....it's a gas.

Been retired 22 years come August. Don't know where the time went. It's been said retirement is when the wife gets half as much money & twice as much husband. Divorced one wife, found another & lost her Oct. 2008. I've managed to hunt in several Western States since retirement. Do a little fishing, metal detecting, reloading & spending time with my kids & grandkids. Don't know how I ever worked as I've been so busy since retireing.