For years, you've been spending at least eight hours of every workday away from home, dealing with deadlines and virtual strangers. Now, you're spending almost all your waking hours in the same place that you slept, and the person you deal with most is someone you know all too well. It's not an understatement to say that there's an adjustment period with retirement. Here's how others dealt with the challenges of getting to know their spouse all over again, and what it felt like to discover their new, retired identity.
___
Togetherness. Research shows that married couples are happier if they retire at about the same time.
Anonymous
___
We definitely have different styles. I like to get up and watch "The Today Show" while I drink coffee and look at the paper. Dick likes it quiet. So we have had to negotiate this a little. When Dick is around, I feel more like I have to be doing something productive. I think that is my problem, though, and not his. We have a big enough house that we don't really have to interact 24/7.
Helene
Salt Lake City, Utah
___
I was never a person who enjoyed being alone, so I welcomed the opportunity to spend more time with my spouse now that I was home every day. (And luckily she's a great cook and made me spectacular meals!)
Anonymous
Toronto, Ontario
___
Hundreds of Heads Books' survival guides offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life's biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information.
(c)2016 Hundreds of Heads Books Inc.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
