The Retirement Newsletter: Am I happy in my retirement?

Issue Number: 173 (26) — a surprisingly simple answer

Photo by Author — an afternoon walk in the woods

Welcome

Welcome to issue 173 (26) — Am I happy in my retirement?

This week’s newsletter will be very short as the answer to my question is (spoiler alert) — yes. See you next week. However, please keep reading to find out why I am happy in my retirement.

Retirement and Happiness

I had been looking forward to retirement for many years. The big danger when you are looking forward to something so much is that it turns out to be an anticlimax. I was worried that might be the case with my retirement. I worried it would not live up to everything I hoped and expected.

Happiness in retirement is important. I could not imagine anything worse than being retired and unhappy. I liked my job. I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed the teaching, the research, and the company of the people I worked with. I was happy at work, meaning retirement had a high bar to clear.

In a way, I envied people who were unhappy in their work because retirement must be a release for them. They have a lower bar to clear to obtain retirement happiness.