When both of my parents were working, my mother would complain that she never had time to do watercolors, and that was what she would do when she retired. My father wisely replied that if she really wanted to do watercolors, she'd find a way to do them now. She never has done them in 25 years of retirement. I think that's part of what you are saying, Petey, and I think you're right. I think at least part of what you do when you retire must be related to what you do when you are working. Exercise routines, gardening, etc. All things that can be done both times. My computer club is something I've done for a long time, both while working and now retired. I can he;p them out more now, though.
I have a list of things to do which are unconnected to the way they live their life today, I'll come unstuck. There will be a void and I'll be filling it with unproven interests.
I think this is true to some extent. I occasionally run across a piece of paper where I had put a list of the 10 things I wanted to do before I die (uncluttering the house wasn't on it
) I am amazed at how many of those things I've done (including visiting Britain). If I make a list longer than about 10, though, I probably won't do those things, mostly because they aren't a priority.
As far as unproven interests, I wanted to join a volunteer activity when I retired. I carefully researched various groups to find one I thought was a good fit. Going into the volunteer scene was very hard for me because I'm pretty introverted. I pretty much forced myself to strike up conversations with people at meetings and classes. Ultimately things worked out, and I feel I made the right choice. I know many, however, have been quite disappointed with volunteer work. It isn't easy getting a good fit.
I don't think the structure question is a problem for me. I can see how people who are used to the structure of a work week might be thrown off by too much unstructured time, but somehow it never worked that way for me. Things like exercising automatically give some structure, and since we almost always eat dinner at home, that's structure, too. What I really need to do it put a timer next to the computer so I don't spend too much time on message boards.
I'm actually having a lot of fun in retirement, and I'm even making some inroads on the clutter problem. (I swear it breeds in dark corners). Everybody finds a different way to spend retirement - some work hard at having goals and others drift along. It may just be a difference in personality.
karma