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 ...

Huge congratulations. I aim to retire at 62, so 3 more years for me and I absolutely cannot wait. My profession (teaching) is completely unrecognisable from even 10 years ago and I'm completely done. I hope you have a very long and happy retirement.

Yanbu I will be running away from my NHS job the very second I can. I have done 30 years and will go very part time in 5 years and retire in full in 10. Enjoy every second of retirement!

Three years ago, at the age of 60, I retired early. I was also a qualfied nurse for 30 years. I listened to well meaning friends and family, saying that I wouldn't cope, not working. I worried about how I would fill my day and keep myself busy, occupied and whether I would feel lost. I can honestly say, that I haven't looked back. I absolutely love the fact that I feel calm and at peace, no stress and no worries. The first 6 months felt a little strange, I felt like I was on an extended holiday. The way I looked at it, I had always worked hard, even when bringing up my 5 sons. This is my time now. My advice is enjoy every moment and don't listen to anyone negative. You have earned this, ENJOY and CONGRATULATIONS 😉 x

Ignore your mum. I retired after 37 years in teaching when I was 60 and have never looked back. You only live once, enjoy your retirement.

So untrue. My two younger brothers worked in the private sector and have both been retired for many years (around 10 if my memory serves). I work in the public sector and am hoping to retire next year at 62. Both brothers spend many weeks on foreign holidays with their (also retired) wives. I meanwhile will be lucky to have a weekend by the british seaside, but am still looking forward to retiring on a very much smaller income than now. Public sector working is not as great as you might imagine.

I retired from the NHS at 55! Skipped out of the door without a backward glance!

Retirement is great. Enjoy it. Well deserved.

I had to retire early 2 years ago, at the age of 63, after 26 years working for the NHS, because of ill health. I was SO happy to retire! If I could have afforded it I would have retired at 60. I still can't afford to be retired but needs must.

It should be up to the individual. Some people want to keep working at 80. Some people either can't work at a much younger age, or don't want to, and have other ideas of things they want to do.
The fact there's no jobs for younger people, or that some people can't afford to retire, are additional problems.

I retired from social work at 64 after 40 years' service; I have never once regretted it or looked back. Enjoy every minute; I know I have x

So I have just (September, ie just 4 weeks ago!) retired from 42 years nursing! I do get your statement 'nothing left to give' ... for me, I truly felt 'my work here is done'.
I had succession planned really well - I was a CNS within the hospital but had nursed in that same hosp for 41 years and started noticing that the faces of the nurses and doctors within the hospital were becoming more and more unfamiliar .... all 'our generation' were retired. Or worse.

From me to you my darling I give you a resounding clap 👏🏼 , 👏🏼 I thank you for your service, and I wish to let you know that life post many years nursing and NHS is (already!) wonderful and I am proud of myself. Don't let anyone take the shine off this my lovely. I'm 63 next week and also grateful to have my health. Just look forward to it and embrace it 💕😊

thank you. Baby boomer here. I totally agree with @BunnyLake .

Before Thatcher and neo-liberalism came along, the mainstream guiding value in British society was around working together to make the future better for everyone and our children. `
I remember having this dinned into me at school (as an Infant from 1950).
"Don't Let the Bullies Take Over" is a mantra remembered from many a Primary School Assembly. It was a value I took forward into my working life.

In those days, we were proud of our public services.
Public Service were not dirty words.

I was proud to be a public servant from 1974 to 2006.

Mrs Thatcher (front-piece for a deeper neo-liberal/libertarian comeback, which continues to this day) set out to poison all of that, with a great deal of success.
But very many folk, working in NHS and in state education, have remained aligned and faithful to the core value of service to society.

Congratulations to all those who still do this, who commit their working contribution to the general good.
To OP, I wish you a very long and very happy retirement. Do expect to find that the "outfall effect" and the "rest period you think you need" continues much longer than you expected.

OP, you've more than earned your retirement: thank you for all you've done in the NHS, and have a wonderful time.

I'm just shy of my 64th birthday, and I've dropped down to four days a week this year in my private sector job. I just don't have the energy I used to, nor do I have the patience to put up with the unending procession of 'initiatives' all of which are going nowhere - I've become the old lag in the corner saying "We've already tried that and it didn't work then and won't work now" to every new idea! So it's time I went. I'll be retiring properly at the end of the year and it can't come too soon. I was a late starter in my career - I left school without qualifications and worked in dead-end jobs (pre-minimum wage) until going to university in my 30s. That meant I started saving for a pension relatively late, and put as much aside as I could once my DDs were independent and I finished paying off my mortgage.

You've done your time in the NHS, and you deserve a long and happy retirement to look after yourself after decades of looking after others. Enjoy!

A well deserved retirement. Ignore any negative comments, whoever utters them, your mother included. You’ve done your bit, now enjoy a long and happy retirement. 💐

Oh, and to the poster having a dig at baby boomers, I’m one of those, bloody glad I’m retired after a very stressful, long, career, and think the OP has done sterling service (as did I before I retired, by the way), so climb off your high horse and think before you have a dig at “baby boomers”, I’m sick and tired of being got at because I happen to have been born when I was, and the implication that I haven’t worked hard for many years because of when I was born., and had it “oh, so easy” (yeh, right … not). Time you got real instead of making such generalistic, crass, insulting comments. One day, you’ll be retired and I hope no one has a nasty dig at you because of it.

Hardly a “boomer”, anyway. We can all criticise people in those created age categories.

I have been retired 11 years 5 months and 2 days and still every day feels like a holiday. Bliss. You have so much to look forward to. Enjoy.

Well done congratulations I hope you enjoy your retirement

Sounds like she is jealous! You've done your time, now enjoy your retirement.

But at 62 she is a baby boomer and I very much doubt if her mum is

Well at 62 this lady is a baby boomer herself and I’m doubtful her mother is ..congrats on your retirement ( from a retired nurse and midwife)

YANBU. You’ve spent years working incredibly hard at a job that actually makes a different to society. Please now take some time for yourself, to rest, to pursue old or brand new hobbies, to travel, to socialise, to do whatever you want to do. You don’t have to justify the timing of your decision to anyone- enjoy! 💐🥂🙌🏻

Thank you. The only reply I had for this nonsense involved two short words. The ignorance is astounding.

Thank you. I did reply to someone else using a naughty word. My first ever deleted comment. The generalisations are getting very wearing.

Happy Eternity Leave! You’ve more than done your bit, enjoy every minute of this next chapter.

Enjoy your retirement using your pension to treat yourself now and again, you’ve earned it