To be delighted I'm retiring

[Vengefulpomegranate]

I will be retiring from my coal face NHS job in April 2027. Ive done nearly 40 years, full time except for my preganacies and short mat leaves (5 months longest at that time). Im just finished, I have nothing left to give. My mother started on about 'all my training' and I'm 'still young' - I'm almost 62. For context she retired from her part time secretarial work at 54. ... taken the shine off it a bit from me ...

Congratulations on your milestone, dont let anyone take the shine, bask in it, bathe in it, enjoy it 😀

You’ve served your sentence and humanity should be thanking you for that service. Enjoy your well deserved retirement.

Congrats and thank you for your service! Hope you're going to have a wonderful retirement.

My PILs are retired teacher/head teacher and are living like giddy 20 somethings. I love it all for them

Yay! Enjoy your retirement, you’ve really earned it!

DH and I have recently (early) retired and very very happy to have the time. We have new hobbies and are much fitter now!

That just reads to me that your mum is very proud of you and thinks the NHS needs more folk like you.

Enjoy retirement!

I wonder if your retirement is making your mother feel old- resulting in the less then enthusiastic response to your news?

Thank you for your service and enjoy your retirement x

Thank you! And yanbu in the slightest. 62 is a great age to retire if you’re able to.

Congratulations!!!

Enjoy your well earned retirement and ignore your mother!

Congratulations!
The next few months will feel like the longest of your life. But oh, the relief when you get there. Enjoy your retirement, whatever anyone else says.

Congratulations to you! 40 years is an amazing run and 62 is a good age to retire.
I hope you get to enjoy your retirement 🎊🎊

I’m a while away from retirement yet (45) but seen people retire from my workplace and I’m so pleased for them. Spoke to one recently and she was having a great time. You’ve given a lot of your life to your job so enjoy it. Like a pp said maybe your mum is feeling a bit old at your news. I used to think I can’t imagine retiring but now I think it would be lovely 😆

Just retired from NHS and it's brilliant! Didn't appreciate how burnt out I was. No more stress. Enjoy these years!

It doesn't, it sounds like yet another baby boomer with a short memory who forgets that they've not had to work anywhere near as much as younger people to enjoy the same standard of living.

OP, just say that you've already worked 8 years longer than she did (and the rest due to being PT) so are retiring.

Well done my darling! There will always be naysayers (even if they are your own mother haha). Enjoy your peace x

On the one hand, on a macro level, losing the training and experience of retirees is a huge problem. On the other, people can only go on at a job for so long and until relatively recently, women retiring at 60 was the norm. 64 is a good age if you can afford it.

I've only worked for the NHS for 15 years and I can't wait to retire! 😄 hats off to you ....40 years! You must have seen a lot of changes. To your mum you probably are still young 😄 but it's time for you to have some "me time" after putting others first for so long. Thank you for your service. 💐

Don't listen to her on this subject. Why would you? Congratulations.

Happy retirement @Vengefulpomegranate! You are not unreasonable at all.
Since I retired I've been asked fairly frequently if I miss work and it is true, there are some aspects I do sometimes miss. I miss actually treating patients and I miss seeing (some of) my colleagues on a regular basis. But I do not miss being an employee of our local Trust one iota, and I don't imagine it is much different elsewhere. I never wake up on a Monday morning and think "Ooh do I wish I was going to work today." I lost the will to try to spin straw into gold at great cost to my own well being a while ago and I am both healthier and happier in retirement. Enjoy your retirement and don't feel guilty about it at all.

Exactly!

My partner retired a year ago and has really enjoyed it.

I'm 60 and had always intended to retire around this time - unfortunately my mental health isn't in a state to allow that at the moment. I really hope my physical health holds up to allow me to continue working.

Yes, keeping training and experience is a huge problem. But it's not the responsibility of older workers to keep on working longer than they want to, to make up for lack of workforce planning, issues with the economy and younger people not joining and staying in industries even when there are jobs available.

Some would say that the OP should be stepping aside to make room for someone who needs a job/progression when she clearly can afford to no longer work.

You deserve it having served so well for 40 years. I wish you very good health to enjoy it.

As I said myself when I retired, well I think I've now paid my debt to society! And you certainly have.

Omg op enjoy it hurrah!

Thank you for your service, go forth & enjoy your retirement

#jealous

Perfect timing - April, the start of a long summer and long days…

Happy retirement to you! I'm finishing in 2.5 months at 57. Cannot bloody wait.