my big announcement.

Published on by Quandie

I have big news to share with you today.  I’m retiring from the day job!

Honestly, I can hardly believe it myself.  It hasn’t really sunk in yet.  But November 30 will be my last day as a 9 to 5’er.

Most people plan months, or even years, in advance for retirement.  They have a target date in mind and they count down the remaining months, and then days, until the big day.  They have plenty of time to wrap their heads around the idea of being retired.

It didn’t quite happen that way for me.

Up until recently, I always said that I would work until 65 to avoid paying the high cost of health insurance.  After all, I loved my job.  It was my home away from home.  I had a beautiful office, tasks that I enjoyed doing, great benefits and pay, an easy commute, and co-workers that were like family to me.  Why wouldn’t I keep working?

But then the uppermost management position turned over.  Things started to go downhill, and then people started leaving.  One by one, people that I had worked with for decades were handing in their notices.

The atmosphere has grown increasingly stressful and I have never seen such low morale throughout the entire workforce in all of my 34 years with my employer.  It got to the point where the stress was causing me to toss and turn at night, and to dread Monday mornings.  When I found myself crying in my car in the Target parking lot over my lunch hour, I realized that it was time to move on.  Life is too short to spend it this way.

Fortunately, I am eligible for a pension and Mr. Q and I have been putting money away for years in anticipation of retirement.  Both of which will make it possible for me to retire so much earlier than I ever planned on.

And that brings me to the fun part of this post.  As of December 1, I am FREE!  No more full time job.  No more struggling to cram blog projects into the weekend.  No more alarm clock.  No more commuting in a snow storm.  No more feeling inadequate because I can’t meet unreasonable demands.

I am super excited to discover whatever the future might hold, the possibilities are endless.  And I’m also really looking forward to having more time to devote to painting furniture, repurposing vintage finds and posting here on q is for quandie!

 

152 thoughts on “my big announcement.”

  1. Congratulations!! I know you will love your new freedom and it sounds like it was a great decision for you. So glad you are NOT retiring from your blog. Enjoy!

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  2. Congratulations! I recently left a job for those very same reasons and now I’m opening up a shop in our small town. Looking forward to see all that you do!

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  5. Well that’s just wonderful Miss Quandie! I bet that your decision is bittersweet because you say you always loved your job until recently………but hey, it’s kind of like The Walking Dead……..people are forced to shoot the person they love most in the head ’cause they’re a ZOMBIE now, no longer themselves! And it’s so good that you guys won’t be financially troubled………I’ve been MIA from the Comments Brigade recently because I’ve had a lag time in getting to my emails; I’d go to post something and Comments would be closed already! I gave my preference of Disney Land over Disney World: we took our boys on the Disney Cruise when they were younger and then on to Disney World. It was like being on a Survivor show! It was so crushingly hot that we just couldn’t enjoy it! Really not fun. Also I just love the sweetness of Disney Land. I get jazzed seeing your Christmas projects! And I know that feeling of flipping a switch! When a chill comes to Los Angeles for the holidays it feels so much more cozy and Christmasy! It’s chilly now and I’m in my sweatshirt onesie getting ready for Thanksgiving and decorating for Christmas. May it last till year’s end! And then go away! Hahahahahaha…….. It’s going to be fun to watch what you do with your skills in the future 😀 No limitations!

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    1. Wait, what? Comments would be closed? Do my comment sections close? I’m going to have to look into that. That must be a setting that I’m unaware of. As for the Disney World thing, I can’t imagine how anyone bears it in the summer. I can’t think of anything worse. But we usually get lovely weather there in October, and November wasn’t bad either. But you’re right, Disneyland is sweeter. I can tell you that it’s a different crowd in Disneyland. It feels like it’s more locals, and more old school Disney fans. In the Disneyland Tiki room the entire crowd was singing along and dancing in their seats, and clearly just loving the vintage kitsch. The crowd was much more subdued in Disney World’s Tiki Room for sure. I think the cast is just a bit more friendly in Disneyland too.

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  6. Congrats, although I’m sorry for the reason. Isn’t it amazing how one person can be such a malignancy? Makes you realize the power of one.
    A new chapter for you and the Mr.
    Enjoy!!

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  8. So happy for you! The decision I made to retire was one of the best I’ve made. So excited see what you have time for now! Congratulations!

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  11. Your post sounds like my autobiography! I retired this last June 2021 due to the exact same reasons. I too retired in the last minute because my job was affecting my health. I must say I miss working. And I am already thinking of going back to work after the first of the year. But it is going to be something I will enjoy and look forward to, not dread. Congrats on your upcoming retirement and I hope you enjoy your new found freedom! BTW, your blog is awesome and I get so much inspiration from your projects. 🙂

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  13. Wow! Good for you! You are absolutely right. Life is to short to be stressed out everyday. I went through the same thing and retired early too. It actually was a blessing in disguise. I was available to take care of my mom for a couple of years before she passed. God makes all things work together for our good. Congratulations my friend. 😊

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  17. Very exciting but I know you are also very sad. I am leaving a company after only 11 years and everyday I change how I feel. It is exciting to know I will not sit up nights, but sad to not speak to “my people” on the daily. I wish you all the luck but know, there are others with the same bi-polar emotions.

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  19. Congrats on retirement. You will LOVE it! Sorry for the reason though. My situation was similar…I have not regretted retiring for even a moment. I see some of my coworkers & they tell me they are leaving as soon as they can. It’s so sad to put in so many years & love your job & coworkers but…things change. Good things are coming…Enjoy every minute!!!

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  21. Hi Linda!! A huge Congratulations to you!! What ahuge milestone in your life. I am so jealous. Haha. Happy for you though.

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  22. Congrats! Retirement is the best gig ever! Your creativity will soar & you’ll have time for new adventures creative & personal! And yes you will find yourself saying, “How did I ever fit my regular job in (to my life), I’m so busy!”

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  23. Congratulations! I have never talked to anyone that regretted retiring! I will be retiring early next year myself and I am very excited! I hope will get some of my creative spirit back, it has been missing for awhile! Again congratulations from your friendly almost neighbor!

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  25. ditto here. i feel your frustration and angst. i always thought retirement was somewhere off in the distant future. as a nurse, i loved my job and my patients but with a few management changes i felt i was back in junior high and i was in my late 50s! thought i could tough it out but then i “hit the wall” so to speak and i knew it was time. the pain out weighted the joy. congratulations to you. all will be fine and most likely better than ever!

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  27. So many friends and my husband retired! I have to provide health insurance for me and my husband. He had zero benefits at his job so no pension either. I am 60 and work 20 hours a week and love what I do. I left nursing a few Years ago and so glad I did! Talk about stress! I cried every Monday morning in the shower!
    I have had my little job for 7 years and hope to have it at least 5 more years! Congratulations Linda, you will be so much better off and happy! Getting older does have some benefits!😍😎

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  28. I am proud of you for making such a difficult decision. I know how hard it can be to move on from a job you’ve loved for years because of these changes. It is hard to believe that things won’t eventually go back to the way they were, that it won’t be a happy place to be again. But, sometimes we just have to move on. You were smart to tuck away savings for this eventuality. You have this blog full of people who love you and the work you do. This new chapter is going to be fantastic and I’m so glad I get to go along on the ride with you. Congratulations on this new and exciting chapter of your lie!!

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