Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
Some chose flying for a living because it was cheaper than renting, and flying is the passion. It's the hobby. It's also the vacation; those who look forward to going to work see the vacation ending when it's time to return home.
There comes a day when the vacation comes to a grinding halt. Sentenced to the remainder of one's life at home becomes a bleak prospect.
I might enjoy a little more time at home, but definitely planning on having the means to travel, fly GA, etc. Probably going to be happy to be done with 121 at age 65, but can't rule out possible part-time 91/135 work. Maybe seasonal? I want the flexibility for travel... done a lot of that between mil and 121 but usually didn't to stay anywhere for very long. Probably do the RV thing as well.
Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
Life is full of cases in which one spouse dies, and the other follows shortly thereafter. The second spouse has no desire to go on, alone. Workers who put in a lifetime on the job, and keel over in their bean salad the day after they get the gold watch. It's not the watch, or the bean salad. It's being without the job. When one has spent more of one's life doing the job than anything else, and more of one's time each year, each day, week, month, then it's more than a little life change to walk away, and many don't walk far, or at all. White collar, or not.
Yeah, it can be a big deal and will be for me I think. I got a taste when I retired from the mil, but still had the airline gig of course. Just to need to plan for a transition to something else entertaining.
I'm pretty sure everybody does need social connections to one degree or another... you might get that at work and not realize what you'd be missing without it. I'm relatively independent but I know I wouldn't care to live alone in a cabin in the mountains for long. Social media is fairly one dimensional for me... it's a form of social interaction but a weak substitute for the real thing.