I retired at the start of May this year. I'm still detoxing but my energy level is going up.
I wanted to do a number of things after I retired:
1) Grow the stash so my mentally handicapped daughter has plenty and to spare to make it easy for my son and grandkids to take care of her. That's job #1. The stock market hasn't been helping much this year but it's been good enough (so far) that, with the Required Minimum Distributions we have to take, we'll still keep pace with inflation.
2) Get some additional rental properties. Just because I understand the stock market math and history doesn't mean I trust it. Diversification is important, plus fixing them up is fun provided I can start or stop when I want to. It also keeps the draw on our stash at a really, really low level for the first few years. So far, so good. We're making good progress getting Rental #3 on line and #4 is in the closing pipeline. Should close on it about when we finish with #3. Found a good deal faster than expected, which was a nice thing. :)
3) Make art. Not making great progress on this one yet. I've started designing pieces and I've been getting the studio organized and set up to work in. But I spent too many years sitting at a desk programming alone. Just not ready to set in my studio by myself for long periods of time just yet. I need an art buddy to come over and make stuff with me. I think I need a bit more detoxing before I make better progress on it. I already have one metalworking and one enameling conference scheduled over the next year and I'm really looking forward to both. Great information, great people, loads of fun.
4) Teach art. I'll be a teacher's assistant for an internationally known artist this fall at a craft school. I'll have a blast. I'm scheduled to teach two classes this winter. I'm looking forward to it. Plus, this fall I need to do a run-thru of my classes with some friends in order to work the kinks out. (Of my class materials, not my friends. They are beyond my help. ;) )
5) Travel. We'll be taking a vacation at the beach in early August. One conference is in eastern NC, another is in Oregon, and the class I'm the assistant for is in the mountains of TN. Will probably make a few trips to GA to visit our son. I would like to make some short weekend trips to various places around the eastern US over the next year. Nothing expensive, just some gasoline, a few meals out, and a night or two in an inexpensive hotel. We're both pretty worn out and have been ill several times this year, so a long trip just seems too much work for now. We might go for an overseas trip in late 2019 or in 2020, but I don't see one earlier than that. We have some friends in India, NZ and Australia so any of those would be good candidates. We'll see. If the market tanks we'll go cheap, otherwise we might splurge.
The next one wasn't in our original retirement plans.
6) Get politically active. The bastards running things in the US executive and legislative branches, plus my state's legislative branch, need to be voted out. All of them. And we need some laws in place to prevent corporate and ultra-rich person money from corrupting politics. As Sen. Ted Cruz said, people like me will crawl over broken glass if we have to in order to vote his party out.