40 Comments
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Keith Coolidge's avatar

Congratulations, may you stay healthy and enjoy the rest of your life .

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Mark Taylor's avatar

Congratulations. I've been retired 5 years and my work-life/careers seem like a distant dream. It's a blessing to be liberated from organizational structure and bosses. Enjoy and grow in new directions.

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Scott's avatar

Well deserved and congratulations. Enjoy your train ride!

Well, I went back to Ohio

But my family was gone

I stood on the back porch

There was nobody home

I was stunned and amazed

My childhood memories

Slowly swirled past

Like the wind through the trees

Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio

I went back to Ohio

But my pretty countryside

Had been paved down the middle

By a government that had no pride

The farms of Ohio

Had been replaced by shopping malls

And Muzak filled the air

From Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Pat Benatar had obviously never been to parts of Texas, Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington...in comparison Pat doesn't know WTF she's talking about when it comes to urban sprawl.

Only Columbus comes anywhere close to cities in any of those states. And she said Cahoga Falls or Cayuga Falls, not Cuyahoga Falls as is proper. Fuck Pat Benatar. She was overrated anyway.

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Scott's avatar

I grew up in Beavercreek, Centerville, and Chagrin Falls Ohio, while dad worked at Wright Patterson AFB. Always disliked that song. You nailed it - the lyrics sound like they were written by someone who had no idea where Ohio even was, and just liked the rhythm of the words.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Benatar and company DID have great rhythm; I have to give them that. I liked Love is a Battlefield for some strange personal reason.

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James J. O'Meara's avatar

Feels good.

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Nakayama's avatar

Congratulations. Waiting to see more of you.

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Kaveh Ahangar's avatar

Congratulations! Atlantic Canada is only another hop, skip and jump from PA if you really get an attack of wanderlust. Also Quebec City deserves mention, the best part of this daft country

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

I would love to take my wife to one of my ancestral lands. There's a marriage contract between my first two known ancestors in the New World under glass in Quebec, dated 1640.

They came over from Normandy to settle Trois Rivieres in 1638. My parents took me there and to Quebec City in 1972, but I've never been back.

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Kaveh Ahangar's avatar

It's wonderful to know of one's connections to history and places like this

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Pam2's avatar

Congrats. 🥳 I did not experience a grieving process after retiring. Must only apply to people who liked their jobs. By the way, the song quoted was by the Pretenders not Pat Benatar. Chrissie from the Pretenders was from Akron.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Was it? Shit! I'm terrible at music trivia.

But I've HATED my job for more than ten years now so you give me hope that it won't be quite as weird as I feared.

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Shani's avatar

I’m retiring in January but I am scared. I have an adult disabled son I want/need to spend more time with so it’s less freedom but I’ll still have less to juggle. I’m

Just…nervous about the change. Maybe I’ll feel more joyous when it happens.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Any change is stressful. I learned that from cats.

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Shani's avatar

Your post buoyed me!

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Pietro Wislon's avatar

Congrats!

Now eat right, preferably low on the food chain.

Exercise....kettlebell swings are the most efficient.

Quit smoking and cut down on the alcohol.

Positive Mental Attitude!

Good luck!

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jbnw's avatar

Congratulations and enjoy!

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David Norman's avatar

Just to add my congratulations and wish you well. Having retired a couple of years ago I can strongly advise not listening too hard to anyone else’s opinion on how to handle retirement…….even mine!

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Now that's advice I respect. Thanks!

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David Norman's avatar

I’m glad that you may be taking my advice (probably by not listening to what I said), however, for what it’s worth (maybe not much), when I retired I did find it remarkably easy by following a single rule……that is to try and do one significant thing each day. Just to expand on that a little, there is no rule on what is significant (you will know). It’s ok to do two significant things a day but if you get to three the I would be worried that you might be overdoing it or possibly setting your definition of significance too low. Remember the significant things are for you even if they might benefit others. At the risk of going on too much I would say that there is a wonderful liberation in realising that you are suddenly insignificant to everyone, except yourself. I don’t mean that harshly, you may have people who regard you as important but they are special and few. Ah too much already, I hope you feel the freedom and enjoy.

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Lol. Right now I'll settle for one or two useful things a day, like doing the dishes or fixing one of the myriad things that needs fixing around the house.

As for insignificance, well, that imparts a degree of freedom, does it not?

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David Norman's avatar

Indeed. Consider yourself liberated!

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Googie's avatar

Congratulations on joining the club, OB! :*)

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The Passionate Progressive's avatar

Congratulations and have a beer on me!

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Ohio Barbarian's avatar

Thank you! I will.

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The Watchman's avatar

Congratulations. I've been retired ffor almost 10 years, did mine at 62 and that's when I started my website https://nothingnewunderthesun2016.com/

Look forward to seeing more from you.

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Dx's avatar

Congratulations OB!

I can concur about the 6 months minimum to decompress and readjust to your new life. I certainly didn't grieve but then I had a job I'd grown to hate, being 'managed' by incompetents I had no respect for (I think they had noticed 😹).

What I liked best not having to keep office hours was being able to sleep as long as I wanted / needed to initially and then finding a rhythm to my day that suited a night owl like me.

Best wishes and enjoy this next phase of life! ❤️🕊️,Dx

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JohnT's avatar

Good luck on retirement, my working career was littered with plant closures and recession all perfectly timed to relocate me in the South.

Now 12 years later even the South is too expensive. I'm headed back to my roots in Central Pennsylvania. Maybe we will cross paths in Pittsburgh one day. It really is a good town, not just a place for us hillbillies to flock to for a good game or concert.

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