Retired as of Today

[moke]

43 years, 3 months ago, having just graduated from a Photographic School, I started a new job at a Photographic Studio and Camera Store. I additionally, began working about a year later as a Policeman at night to save money to buy the place. In April 1990, I spent my wad and became the owner. I continued to work part-time as a cop only on weekend nights. Then later more and more, eventually being half time, and retiring from that in April 2017 after 38 years. I ran my Store/Studio until 2010 when I closed the Camera Store and concentrated on the Studio until last Friday. I handed the keys to new owner of the Building. I had been working with him since September to purchase the building and myself on retiring.

Today is my first day that I didn't have to be some where in my entire life. I know many of you are retired and have experienced the same feeling.....it's odd. I do however, have several projects. I was the third owner of the business. The previous owner built the building, and the basement was full! I was unable to sell the business itself, photographers now are mostly what I call mama-razzi's. Moms with a camera and a subscription to Pinterest. They have ruined the business as a full time profession. There has not been a Studio sold in Iowa since 2015, so I just closed it and ran a "sale" for the last month, but naturally there was stuff left, so I brought it all home, sert up my server and computers in my home office, but my Garage, which is 24x36 is full of either stuff I'm going to ebay,or woodworking tools. Also, I am now going to build a 24x40 dedicated wood shop with construction starting this fall.....at least I hope....that is if I could find a contractor that actually returns calls. When it begins to happen I'll post some photos.

I'd really like to be turning but I can't get to anything because of all the junk in my garage!!!!! But the weird thing is I just keep thinking I need to check my schedule...I'm sure that's temporary, but still feels strange. If any of you other retirees have any advice, I'd appreciate it....I'm new

 

[Sand Mountain Designs]

congratulation on the milestone. I wore the badge for 12.5 years and anyone that can walk away from that job on their own terms is blessed. Good luck with your future endeavors.

PS - when you get your garage cleaned out you can start on my shop lol

 

[Pollock29]

Congratulations! I did 31 years as FF/Paramedic. You're right...it feels odd. The oddest part to me was not working and still getting a check!

Enjoy!

 

[jcm71]

Biggest problem I had was that once I retired, I couldn't get anything done. I had lost all structure. make yourself a schedule and stick to it. I was just wandering around the house without purpose until I found new purpose for my work hours.

 

[moke]

Poppytee-I worked a small town, it was great. It was the highest income average in the state. We had good equipment and good folks. The biggest danger was I might get tennis elbow from waving at folks. Then we signed a back up agreement with a small town that had a huge influx of people and we got busy, but I still enjoyed it. Thanks for the kind words.

Pollock- Thanks for your service. Our Dept had a shared building with the FD, they were great. I always tried to be nice to them. I figured that if I got hurt I wanted to look up at a friendly face. The SS folks are making me wait 45 days for some reason. I have been getting my PD retirement since 2017.

Burlman- I think I will continue to set my alarm, just not as early! And my wife at least for the time being, is my driving factor.

 

[Roger williams]

Well i want to a big thank you to Moke, Poppy Tree,Pollock29 for your service

 

[Alan Morrison]

Not re-tired but re-fired.
Enjoy your 'free' time.
Alan

 

[howsitwork]

When my dad took early retirement he said he "didn't know what he would find to occupy ( his) time" , my mother handed him an A4 list. A week into retirement at Sunday lunch he was delighted to announce he'd nearly finished "the list". He was then handed another 2 pages , hand written close spaced by mother ! Some 4 weeks later , whils5 enjoying a beer I asked ( we were solo on that occassion) , his he was doing on the jobs front? He replied he had finished the latest list a few days ago but I WAS NOT. to mention this to my mother !

Two years later he was so busy he couldn't work out how he found uptime to have worked !!!

The moral being - you will find time to enjoy yourself , settle in and go with the flow. You've earned the pleasure now luxuriate in it .

Have fun!

Ian

 

[Jim15]

Congratulations. Enjoy your time.

 

[BRobbins629]

Congrats. The thing I like most about retirement is that there's always tomorrow. Never feel rushed to finish anything.

 

[jttheclockman]

Congrats on the retirement. well earned. Bruce said it best. Anything I do now is with no care in the world. If I get done today fine and if not always tomorrow till my tomorrows run out.

 

[moke]

Roger- Thank you, I was always proud to be able to help folks.

Alan- I'll remember that! Thanks

Ian-Thanks, I'll remember that....a little white lie to make the relationship better!

Bruce- Thanks, I've been so busy the last 47 years I never stopped to really enjoy.....I'll try and remember that!

JT- Thank you, the same good advice as Bruce so if you two are on board, so will I be.
My wife said at dinner tonight we should take short a trip, and the first thought I had was, right like I have time for that....then it hit me...hey....I do!

 

[KenB259]

Congrats on your retirement, well earned.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[egnald]

Congratulations and welcome to the Retired Team! I retired December 31, 2019. Although I had been going to the same nearly every day for 37 years, that weird feeling subsided pretty quickly. I do miss my engineering team though, especially because of the social distancing.

I've been near Cedar Rapids a few times but have never visited. I've heard that there are some fantastic museums in Cedar Rapids. Most of my time in Iowa has been in and around Des Moines, like at Lake Panora, or in Atlantic or Anita where my dear wife's family hails from.

I'm very happy for you! - Dave

 

[Karl_99]

Congratulations on your retirement and good luck on the next chapter!

 

[SteveJ]

Congratulations!

 

[gimpy]

Congratulations, enjoy your retirement
When retired, I couldn't believe that I
Had time to work

 

[GraiDawg]

i "retired" a year ago. saturday i opened my new business

 

[TDahl]

Congratulations!

 

[papaturner]

Congratulations !

 

[Kenny Durrant]

Congratulations on starting a new chapter on your life. I've been retired for 2 1/2 years and haven't missed work yet. My job was getting more and more stressful and I was ready to go. I do miss some of the people but that's about it. I've been bored a few times but not enough to get another job. I stay busy with pens and other wood working and life still throws it's curves on a regular basis. I do have to work on keeping up with the day of the week because they're all the same now. I think everyday is Sunday. The reason Sunday and not Saturday is that I don't have to go to go the next day but all my friends complain that they do! I loose track of the days because I've given up on watching the news. I think that's he main reason. I'm tired of all the negativity. I'm tired of all the racism, riots, virus and all the other stuff that's there. The weather is never close to being accurate and since I schedule all my activities around rush hour traffic I don't need to watch that either. My buddy always asks why I eat with the "Blue Hairs"? I tell him it's because we don't want to wait in line with the working crowd. Not because we don't want to but because we don't have to. Enjoy you time, I'm sure you've earned it.

 

[socdad]

Congratulations, I retired 14 years ago ... never looked back. I do not know why I had more 'free time' while I was working for a living.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Congratulations on your retirement. There is an adjustment period to your new life but to put it this way, "It's all good".

 

[JohnU]

Congratulations Moke ! I retired 11 months ago from a Sheriffs Office after wearing the badge 27 years. I was excited and scared all at the same time when the moment came. Retirement was always a thought or a dream up until then. It was something you talked about, when you would have all the time in the world to do everything you wanted. The first month felt like vacation. During the second month realization began to set in. My days seem to go by faster and I found myself losing track of time. I still often wonder how I got anything done when I had a full time job. Thankfully I have a long list of remodeling projects around the house that has been keeping me busy and will for a few more years, and my blank making.
I still miss parts of the job and the guys. I stay in touch with some and get to hear how lucky I am not to be there now. I miss hanging out with them and sharing the daily stories. It's like leaving a second family. I seen them more than my personal family and we experienced a lot more high and lows together. I don't miss the late night or sever storm call outs, or reading and writing so many reports. I finally got past cringing everything the phone rings and I don't seem to look over my shoulder as much out in public. Its nice not having to work out a schedule around work or missing out on so many holidays or family moments. It's nice talking to people when they're pleasant and not just when they are having a bad day. My daily meetings are now breakfast, lunch, and supper with my family (which has much better conversation topics). I often get asked how retirement life is. I tell them ... you don't realize how much stress you had at work until you don't have it anymore. I now enjoy having the ability to put off mowing the grass today because I can do it tomorrow. That was hard for me, never having free time. I find now the days seem to fly by and I can't get everything I wanted done. Probably because I'm too busy enjoying myself and my family and not watching a clock to keep schedule.

Enjoy and make time for yourself! Do everything you've always wanted to and more! This is the time you've worked your whole life for so Have Fun!

 

[tomtedesco]

Congrats! I retired last century (1999) after 30 years with the PD, still keeping busy but I miss seeing the people I worked with.

 

[Curly]

Welcome to the club. Enjoy.
I really wish we could finish school and retire until we were 35 or 40 and then work until kicking the bucket. We would have the strong healthy bodies to have fun with and use the worn out ones for the working years.

 

[moke]

KenB259- Thank you, I did put in a lot of time, but after trying to earn everything I ever got, I get a strange feeling when I get paid for not doing anything!

egnald_- Thanks, I have lived in CR almost my entire life, and sometimes when you are so close, it is hard to see how nice of a town it really is. 30 years ago, everyone said that their was nothing to do but drink and eat. The city took that to heart and there is really a lot to do now, except during COVID, then we are back to drinking and eating!

SteveJ- THanks

Graidawg- Man I think you got that backwards---business then rest...not the other way around! Best of Luck with your business

TDahl-Thanks

Papaturner-Thanks

KennyDurant- Thank you, I had problem with kn owing what day it was when I was working! I know what you meant about the news....those folks are only happy when they are giving you bad news or complaining about this or that Politician. They ask the dumbest questions in the dumbest and most pushy way and the complain when anyone strikes back!!! What was that old saying about Glass houses?

socdad- I like blue hairs! Except for their driving.......Thanks!

Wolfcreekknives- Thanks, I usually adapt pretty quickly.......Life is about change!

JohnU- Thanks and thank you for your service. I retired from LE in 2017 after I tore my Achilles. I had worked two jobs and technically three, my entire adult life. I literally had to ask my friends what they did at night....I had never been home. After a couple of weeks I was in my family room watching TV on a cold and snowy night. My wife noticed I was smiling, and asked me why, and I replied "because I am not down in a ditch somewhere helping some dumba$$ that was driving too fast for conditions!" And Lord knows you never get those big serious calls like a shooting or bar fight unless there is an ice storm!! I can honestly say I was afraid I would miss the adrenaline calls but I never did, not even for a minute. Like you, I did miss the other LEO's.......it really is a brotherhood. Now I have a beer or lunch with the other retiree LEO's but the stories never change! I hoping this retirement is as easy.

tomtedesco- Thank you and thanks for your service. I am home alone days, but the dog enjoys me!

Curly-Thanks- that a great idea! This aging thing is definitely not for sissies!

 

[walshjp17]

I retired in 2011 and have not looked back. Played golf for a few years then discovered woodturning and then penturning. Now I do what I want when she wants me to. Good luck in your retirement.

 

[moke]

walshjp17- Thank you- Today and yesterday all I did was stuff that my wife wanted me to do.....It's now almost 4:00 and I am just getting to stuff I want! Thank you for your service...

 

[howsitwork]

Congrats. The thing I like most about retirement is that there's always tomorrow. Never feel rushed to finish anything.

you're single then ?

 

[mmayo]

Congrats and expect to forget which day of the week. You are not going senile - you will just see every day as another day. You can always check your phone.
Turn some pens

 

[mbroberg]

Congratulations. When people ask me how I like retirement I tell them that it isn't really what I thought it would be. It is MUCH BETTER! I was with Columbus PD for 35 years. It really pains me to see what is going on in my city (and other) today.

 

[moke]

mmayo-Thanks--Is today Wednesday or Thursday....I didn't know what day it was when I was working, what now?

Mike-Thanks--I am with you, it's tough to see this. Particulary when it is the clueless 20% that are driving this ship. Sooner or later the silent majority will put their foot down, until then, this is a real #@$@ show. As for retirement, I am 3 days in and loving it already!!!!

 

[Don Rabchenuk]

Slowdown and enjoy yourself you deserve it. Congratulations

 

[moke]

djrljr- Thank you....so far I haven't slowed down a bit!

 

[howsitwork]

So Mike

6 months in , getting the hangs of it yet?

Hoep you're keeping fit and well?

 

[moke]

I had a couple of set backs...We had a derecho, and all the contractors got super busy. Our little neighborhood lost 11 trees in 5 lots, we are all close and take care of each other so we all spent a couple of weeks fixing and chopping up trees. The city, around 140k, figured they lost 100,000 trees.....not sure where they got that figure but every yard had the "parking area" packed. Afterwards I was focused on my dream shop, and while I had an awesome builder, we could not get an excavating company to show up until Dec 10. and the concrete guys were just as bad they showed up a week later.
In October we got another European Cream Retriever puppy, on Dec 20 I was walking her and tripped over her in the driveway shattering my rt elbow in 4 spots. I had an operation on the 28th....since then, I have been healing. I started PT three weeks ago and I am getting better by leaps and bounds. It is still incredibly weak, today I did curls with 5lbs. While that sounds like a tiny amount, it is a big step.
The building is up, inbetween snow storms and sub-zero weather. This last week was warm and they made good progress. Since the photo it now has shingles, tyvek, a garage door, and a service door beside the garage door. A electrical crew is coming this Saturday. There are 4 of them and expect to get it done that day.
The electric is not trenched up to it, or the gas...the ground is frozen. It is so cool, big and truly something to cross off my bucket list. After the thaw, I will have the driveway up to it and a little 10x12 patio poured. I also have a ton of landscaping and seeding to do, but my arm should be ready to go by then. The building is 24x40 with the side shown being 24. The gravel road to it is buried under the snow.


So this is more info than u asked for, but all in all retirement has been good. As a photographer I would not have been able to bring the camera up to my eye, so the bright spot is I didn't need to!!!! I am able to run errands, for myself and wife now....this afternoon I worked a little in the garage, but still a ways from being able to turn. I always try to be a glass half full guy, so I didn't let anything get me down...and hey....so far...we never had Covid. We had several friends pass away form that stuff, one yesterday....so we have that to be thankful for that we did not get it. My wife is a manager in a large hospital, and she actually worked a lot and made decent money even while taking a temporary pay decrease...so, its hard to be pessimistic. 2020 was not great for us, but many folks had it far worse, so we thank God for getting us through it, and pray for those struggling still.
Thanks for asking Ian!!! Oh...I included a photo of the girls....I spent a great amount of my retirement tending them.

 

[magpens]

Hi there, Mike,

I hope the puppy was not hurt when you fell !!

Actually, I'm sorry to hear about your accident ! . Glad you are approaching full recovery now !!

I am very jealous of your very spacious workshop !! . Looks fantastic !!

Take care !

Cheers,
Mal