☺ Why I Retired ☺

☺ Why I Retired ☺

, revised Friday, December 02, 2005

I decided to retire because:

The commute had dramatically worsened. When I started commuting from my present home (27 years before), each way took 35 minutes on a good day, 45 on the average, an hour at most. At the time of my retirement the best time was 50 minutes, average of 1:10, 1:30 for bad days (not counting snow trips, which could be 2-3+ hours). Leaving work at 3 PM used to provide a faster return journey, but now is as bad as leaving at 4 PM used to be. In addition, HOV lane construction on the Long Island Expressway (LIE) had further complicated travel, which increased stress beyond the norm.

A newspaper reported in January 2004 that the LIE road work would extend for an additional year, and would only be completed by June, 2005. That, coupled with the snow and ice of the winter of 2003-04 makes me very glad that I retired in June, 2001.

There were other things that I would rather do than spend my time at work. Work is only work if there isn't anything else you'd rather do, but I'd rather not spend the remaining years of my life commuting, working in a vault (seeing the outside world only occasionally), and seeing things which should be done not be done (not part of my responsibilities, outside my capabilities, yet requests for action by others ignored).

The advantages of retirement:

Not having to arise at any particular time. As my commute time increased, my alarm clock had to be set earlier, consequently less sleep.

Lower heating bills, since I arise later, the thermostats were reset to heat the house later, thus burn less fuel.

Not having the commute. I feel much less stressed without that part of my life. When I drive into Flushing (even during non-rush hours) I can't believe that I put up with it for so many years. I still occasionally look at the traffic reports on MetroCommute to see what I'm missing ☺.

	I no longer have to live within commuting distance of the college.
	No more commuting costs, and my auto insurance went down by ~$500 annually.
	Gas prices are of less importance than before, since I can control how much I use, rather than being required to by the commute.

Having the time to do the necessities of life at times of my choosing. Writing checks, house cleaning, food shopping, etc. which had to be squeezed into non-working hours can now be done when they're most convenient. Why go to the supermarket or mall at 6 PM when people are coming home from work? Go at 10 AM when stores are almost empty.

Having time to do the fun things in life. Going out for rides on nice days, having nice lunches out. Lunches are cheaper than dinners, and are healthier, giving you energy in the middle of the day instead of at night (when you don't need it).

Weather is uplifting all the time

	If it's good, I'm happy not to have to spent the time at work.
	If it's bad, I'm glad not to have to commute in the weather-related traffic delays.

Still receive a paycheck. Having a pension is a wonderful thing. While not paying quite as much as my salary, it's enough for our lifestyle.

Added benefit: my pension is exempt from NYS income tax.

The disadvantages of retirement:

Not seeing the coworkers you've known for many years. While most of the people I met when I first started working have retired, others had taken their places, so there was a constant flow of people I knew in all departments (because my work touched all areas of the college). I had contacts daily with certain individuals and departments (of course within the security department, also B&G), but I probably knew (and was known to) someone in every one of the departments, divisions and offices (alphabetically from Academic Senate to Writing Skills Workshop). When I retired, all this contact came to an abrupt halt. While I occasionally still visit the college, it's not the same as seeing all these people daily, and I miss it.

Managing money from a different perspective. Before retirement, the aim was to accumulate as much as possible in the 403(b) plan offered by the NYC Teachers' Retirement System (only three choices of investments). Upon retirement I made a direct transfer of my accumulated funds into a rollover IRA (no tax due at that time), but now I have an almost unlimited number of choices for investments. Since I have to make my money last through my and my wife's lifetimes (and there won't be any raises in my salary, although I'll get Social Security in the future), there's a bit more worry about making the right choices.

In summary, it comes down to what I said in my speech at my retirement party. I recalled a televised interview with actor James Cagney (1899-1986) who, when asked why he retired, replied (as best I can recall):

"I was filming One, Two, Three and there was a break during the shooting, the soundstage doors were opened and we all walked outside. The sun was shining, the birds were singing; it was a perfectly beautiful day. We enjoyed ourselves, and then came a call, 'Mr. Cagney, we're ready.' I said, 'Just a minute,' and gave one more look around. As I walked back into the black hole that was the soundstage, I decided that I didn't want to do that any more."

Like Cagney, I decided that I didn't want to do that any more. There are only so many perfect days during a life, and I didn't want to miss any more of them. The summer I had between June 23 - Sept. 10, 2001 is one that I will never forget, and it will be a long time before any American can again bask in the blissful innocence that existed before 9/11/01. I'm glad I had that time and didn't wait, but there isn't a day that I don't think about Queens College and all my years there.

I'm so glad I retired!