Rocking Chair? What Rocking Chair?

One of the many blogs I visit on occasion is Get Rich Slowly. While it has good information, I don't actually read it every day. The blog is more (from my perspective) on making money than on saving money and having fun. That said, Donna Freedman (whose blog is on my blog roll) is a regular writer and I do enjoy many of the articles. I've actually considered writing an article and submitting it as a guest writer, and after yesterday I just may have to do that.

Yesterday's article was on The Many Roads To Retirement. As you might expect, I read this one all the way through. It's an interesting article and although many of us are already retired, it's worth a gander. After I read the article, I read the comments.  Then I began to laugh (and actually added a couple myself).

One person commented that they considered "the retired, idle life none to healthy".  Another commenter implied that "life was to short to retire", and a third person responded that they planned to work as long as they can and avoid the "rocking chair". You get the general idea here.

Folks, somewhere in America there may be someone who spends their day in a rocking chair, but I haven't met them recently. Have you?  I read many retirement blogs each day. I have a passel of them linked on the left side of this blog, and others that I read as well. Some of them are so called "early retirees" , some are "forced retirees", some came to retirement through the normal channels. I have yet to read about one who was "bored".

Obviously, as retirees we all have different energy levels and ideas about perfect retirement. Some work part time, some have businesses. Some folks like Tamara and her husband have a high energy adventure style retirement. Others have a more relaxed version of retirement. If any of us are sitting around though, it's most likely just for the day and by choice.

I work part time, in order to supplement my income so that I can travel. I enjoy the work, but would have a pretty full life without the "income streams".  An online friend (whose husband left the working world much later than she did) once commented that she's not sure how she ever had time to work, and I tend to agree.

If I were to start listing the things I do on a regular basis in retirement, I'm not sure where I would stop. I've blogged about the "but what do you DO in retirement issue more than once. It's nothing new to say that I volunteer with two organizations. I take college courses. I quilt, I craft. I travel (both short term day trips and long road trips). I work I the garden and on the house. I try new recipes. I read. I meet friends in the middle of the day. I swim, I walk.....the list goes on.

Other people have different lists and activities than mine. Some travel most of the time. Some folks are writers, with more "professional" blogs. Some volunteer on a more full time basis. Some bloggers I read have their own businesses. One blogger I visit regularly is retired but cares for her grandchildren by choice. The list is endless. However, I don't know of anyone who spends their day in a chair, and I'm not just talking about early retirees. My father in law who is over eighty had his kitchen and hall floors replaced less than two years ago. While he had a professional come in and install the floor, he and my son removed the old floors and cleaned the house afterwards. My father in law still walks around the track at the rec center, and volunteers both with church and a children's advocacy organization.

I am an extremely laid back kind of person. Possibly more so than many of the retirees I read. I am comfortable spending a day reading a whole book on the patio, and have to force myself to do more physical things on a regular basis in order to keep flexible and healthy. That said, the last time I was "bored" was when I smashed my hand and could not sew, cook or drive. I still ended up finding a good book, a move from Redbox, doing some sketching (albeit with one hand) and visiting with friends.

Oh, and the last time I had a rocking chair was when my now 22 year old was three. He was one of those kids that had to be rocked on a regular basis. But that chair left my home years ago-and while I have a recliner, it doesn't rock.

So tell me-are you bored in retirement? If so, what have you done to alleviate that?  Do you have too much "free time"?.  If you're a reader and not yet retired, do you think you'll have a problem filling time in your post working world years?