Lots of cool comments. Luck to all.

Mosvalve
I'm retiring at the end of this year. The first thing I'm doing is throwing away all my clocks.

Don't do that!  You will need them so you know when to go to the doctors!
 
Retired and been there.

Comment on Dave’s comment about the necessity to keep doing something. Critical truth.
 
Got into pharmacy late in life, oldest student in the class. Had retired as an aircraft mechanic. Too many layoffs in a volatile industry to support a family, busted knuckles and toxic chemical exposure. I had to strip about naked before coming in the door at home after work to not poison the wife and kid with all the carcinogens I had been soaking in for ten to twelve hours.
 
Forgive me if I ramble, but got plenty of time to ramble now…
 
A couple things to share…  One was a conversation between two mechanics about to retire at Boeing in Everett, WA. They were ready to go out on the last of the “golden parachutes” anywhere left.  Free healthcare for life and 75% of their last wage for life. Material security unto their grave.
 
They were congratulating each other on the good life ahead, how they had played by the rules, avoided getting fired on multiple occasions and finally achieved the American dream. The festive mood went silent for a couple minutes. One guy said “What happened. 35 years went like it was yesterday”
 
The other guy said “When I was young, I wanted money. Now I have money but I don’t have youth and don’t have health. What happened to us”
 
Second observation about the Boeing plant and how it kinda relates to the passage of life...
The environment was one where in good times you could work 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Big bucks for us blue collar grease monkeys. Time and a half, double time pay, triple time on holidays. In spite of the riches we used to try and hide out around Thursday late when the big boss man would come through and get forced “volunteers” to work the weekend shift. Crap, sleep was more important than money. I’ve already been here for two months without a day off.
 
Result was that you had a secure environment for workaholic prisoners. You did your thing, kept the planes in the sky but had no life outside the killing floor. They used to say, have all the money to buy any toys you want, but no time to play with them.
 
Problem was in the self identity of the individual and what happened when they were no longer in the only world they knew. They received retirement pensions and perks we can’t dream of having anymore. Majority dropped dead within 2 years of retirement. The local newspapers quit putting obituaries for Boeing employees because of the grim news. Quit Boeing and drop dead. No money, no doctor can save you.
 
I think we as a group of struggling musicians here are fortunate and maybe even blessed. Transition out of working for da man will not leave any of us stranded without hobby or purpose. Last note on purpose, IMHO only. Got to be something in our life, a burning flame to do something outside ourselves. Something service minded. Something to help and uplift humanity, plants, animals, the inert environment. Use of our artistic potential to heal and serve. Only in this sense can there be any golden years ahead.
 
John

John, you are a writer. Honestly. Well said.

I was in my 30s when I decided to opt for entrepreneurial self-employment. Work at home, no commute, no corporate bureaucracy, no office politics, no idiot bosses, no meetings, no set hours.
 
No vacations, either, but that seemed a reasonable tradeoff for the Type A workaholic I was back then.
 
The one thing I didn't think about at the outset was retirement. Didn't even occur to me. Consequently, I now may have to keep working until I drop dead.
 
BUT, nobody said I had to work as hard as I did in my 30's. I guess this is what you'd call semi-retirement: I still have a job, I just don't take it too seriously anymore. I'm not paying anyone alimony or child support and have no dependents. I drive a 12-year-old car less than 100 miles a month, wear jeans and t-shirts 7 days a week, I no longer own a boat, and have just the one hobby. So I don't need a six-figure income, or even half a six-figure income.
 
Oh, man, it just hit me: I've come full circle; I'm a hippie again.

Hey Bit,
 
Got you beat hands down. My car a 2001 Kia Rio. Only thing holding it together is rust. Them Chinese dudes never factored in salt air on the ocean front. It does however run kinda okay when the weather is warm.
 
My grandson is not convinced that all the girls swoon over me when I drive by the playground. I take some offense to him calling it things like rust bucket, piece of junk, the idea that I would have to pay someone to tow it away. It is a snazzy 2 door mean machine. (Two doors since I had to bolt shut the rusted doors on the passenger side)
 
Going full circle to the hippie existence maybe a good thing. Simple is best.
 
Starting to go through all the vast hoarder library of plugs bought on impulse over time. Realizing that what I have already amassed is too much to absorb in this lifetime even if I had any valid creativity left to use the arsenal. Getting to know Alchemy synth on a deeper level. Starting to understand why some claim it is the best synth ever made. Too bad the company went down.
 
John

You guys need to buy a new plugin and live a little.
 

Bingo. That's it. Off we go.

> You guys need to buy a <XXXXX> and live a little.

That was my late cousin's attitude about AA.
 
 

Hmm...
You guys might be right after all.
I think Flutes if Fire is still on sale for $10,000..
<XXXXX> sounds like more fun though.