1932 ford

[E St. Kruiser50]

I read on here an open letter to school age modelers, and I thought about you guy's who are still working out the daily grind, that aren't there yet to retirement - IT'S GREAT <img src="http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="wink.gif" /> .

AT LEAST IT IS FOR ME.

But I thought some advise and encouragement might be of some help FIRST.

I loved my 40 year career. I got payed to play <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> . I woke up everyday, looking forward to the challanges and the things I got to design and create.

If your not doing what you like, I suggest you find what you do like, and make a plan to eventually make a change to where you'd love to be - even if it means going back to school and struggling for a while, maybe even years - IT'S WORTH IT.

EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR JOB SPILLS OVER INTO EVERY AREA OF YOUR HAPPINESS FACTOR - YOUR LIFE, INCLUDING YOUR MODELING, SELF-WORTH, AND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, AND SENSE OF COURAGE.

LOVING YOUR JOB IMPOWERS YOU TO ENJOY LIFE MORE. IT HELPS YOU LOVE PEOPLE MORE, and have more self-confidence, AND A STRONGER SENSE OF HONEST SELF-WORTH, and have more confidence in your model building.

RETIREMENT IS GREAT.

It allows you to do whatever you want to, any time of the day you feel like.

I BUILD MODELS WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT, FOR AS LITTLE OR AS LONG AS I WANT.

I'M SINGLE AND LOVE THAT - I DON'T HAVE TO SHARE <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Being retired has opened up a whole new world of modeling for me.

It took me 2 1/2 years just to develope the water-based chrome system to use to where I was satisfied with the results.

Never could have done that while working a full-time job.

Now I have time for research, and more time to spend here on this forum, and still have time to build models, and work on getting even better at it SOONER, Travel a bit, go out and eat with friends, and so on.

ANOTHER THING ABOUT HAVING A GREAT CAREER, IS THAT WHEN YOU RETIRE, YOU HAVE ALL THOSE GREAT MEMORIES OF ENJOYMENT AND MAKING A GOOD DECISION, TO DO THE KIND OF WORK YOU LIKED.

YOU HAVE ALL THE POSITIVE FEELINGS ABOUT THE PAST THAT CONTINUE TO PROPEL YOU TO EVEN NEW ADVENTURES IN YOUR RETIREMENT.

THE PAST BUILDS ON THE FUTURE.

JUST BECAUSE YOU RETIRE ISN'T THE END OF LIFE.

IT CAN ACTUALLY BE A NEW BEGINNIG TO A NEW FUTURE OF EXPLORATION, AND INCREASING YOUR CREATIVITY.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Treehugger Dave

[Guest Gramps-xrds]

I agree a lot with what Dave said. I thought when I retired I could do all the hobby things I did while working all the time. Well that isn't the case. I have the time now but for some reason I just don't want to do a lot of the things I used to do like letter signs, paint and auto body work, airbrush murals and a few other things. I really liked working. Not so much the job (although I did enjoy the challenges of repairing machinery) but mostly the ppl I worked with. When you spend 8 to 16 hrs a day for 30 yrs eating, working and even sleeping along side them, they become a part of your family. I used to pester the daylights out of them and I miss that. Now a lot of them are dead and that hurts. I've always had models to work on and enjoyed it since the 50s, but now I'm on a fixed income and can't afford a lot of the things I need and have to make do with what I have or make an alternative solution. It gets frustrating sometimes and you just throw your hands up in the air and walk away, but I always come back because models have been my friends for far too long and their always there.

This is just something for you to think about.

[crazyjim]

Hey guys, work is a 4 letter word and probably shouldn't be used on this forum. Retirement is great! I've done more model work (oops) in the last 10 years than I ever have. What made my model life so much better was finding this forum - really, I mean it!

If I didn't have to pull weeds, paint, tend the veggie garden, volunteer cook at the local VFW, do my Veterans activities, ride the Harley, drive the dune buggy, cut the grass, clean windows, wash the truck, etc. I could build models all day long. And you know what? I'm going out to the shop right now to complete my Buick GSX, check the paint on a '63 Lincoln Continental station wagon, check the putty on the Waverider S10, and start the '69 Scrambler.

[samdiego]

Man, you guys are old as dirt!

[george 53]

Just MY 2 cents. Retirement is cool, I don't wake up a 4:00 anymore, Fight I-94 CRAZIES who shave or apply make-up at 70 MPH, or hafta deal with the line anymore(Did THAT for 25 years before I got on a Hi-Lo) I do miss my truck(Hi-Lo) There wasn't ANYTHING my lil truck couldn't lift! I DO miss ALL my freinds though, Buckeye, Bobby Dawg, La Donna, Ray-Ray, These guys an girls made the day liveable. Now we're all retired an I sure do miss them.The Plant was home for alot of us,and we WERE like family. 32 years went by fast, I had ALOT of freinds and my daughter Joy still calls alot of them "Uncle" I DON"T miss the plant AT ALL, just the folks that populated it. It's pretty lonely without the constant company of those guys, hopefully Theresa will retire soon(but I DOUBT it! she LIKES her job more than I liked MINE!) and I won't be botherin you guys so much. But THAT has yet to be seen! Retirement is cool, I enjoy it for the most part, but I worked with the BEST crew in my plant, and other than Weddings an Funerals we don't get to see that much of each other anymore. I DO miss them all. Too bad we all live so far apart caz I'd STILL be hangin around with them! But I DID make it to retirement an alot of guys DIDN'T so I thank the Good Lord that HE let me make it thru all the craziness. AND I get a pretty good pension too, so I consider myself lucky in more ways than one!

[Foxer]

Man, you guys are old as dirt!

don't knock dirt ... it's great just lying around till the wind blows!

[E St. Kruiser50]

don't knock dirt ... it's great just lying around till the wind blows!

[Guest promodmerc]

I've got 25 years until I hit retirement age unless I win the lottery.

[crazyjim]

I'm not quite as old as dirt, but I do remember the messy wine glasses when I was a busboy at the Last Supper.

[Guest Davkin]

If your not doing what you like, I suggest you find what you do like

[BKIN10SECS]

I started at age 24...retired at 44....there is a saying we had..."20 and out". Did my 20, retired April 24,2004 arrived in Florida from NYC April 25, 2004...its a good feeling when you go to the mailbox and see that fat pension check waiting there. I've been Blessed and I Thank the Good Lord everyday, but please remember life is short, keep your eyes on the prize, and please plan now because as someone posted "I have 25 years left before I can retire"....don't be fooled, it will be here before you know it. The man that has a job, that he loves what he is doing is, a very lucky man! But sometimes we got to do what we got to do, and like the commercial says.....just do it...there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, I promise you

Edited September 19, 2009 by BKIN10SECS

[E St. Kruiser50]

There's no reason I shouldn't love the career that I have, but I can't say I've ever looked foward to going to work. For the life of me I can't figure out what kind of job would do that for me.

David

I've read this response several time since I started this thread, and this response has haunted me .

I makes me sad that anyone would spend their life not doing what they're passionate about.

I understand that circumstances some times put us in that position, and our families have to be taken care of and put first, and at times sacrifices have to be made, especially right now with the economy like it is.

But in the long run I want to encourage people here to believe in themselves, and don't settle for less than what you want over the long haul, if it's possible.

It's good to believe in yourself and do the best job you can do. You go home feeling satisfied, and happy that you did a good days work, and if you like your job, there's a quiet joy that hepls keep you a little more at peace with the rest of the world .

[old-hermit]

6 more years till retirement, if me and Social Security make it that long.

I love my job, I just don't like the people I work with. Of course, the feeling is probably mutual.

[FloridaBoy]

Tree and guys,

I am 62 retired and build several hours per day, and it took a while, but it seems like my old creative wheels are turning. When I was working, I fought for a few hours here and a few there, and it seemed like I always had other obligations, so I would be a little more "frantic" when working at my bench, just to get a model working. I had work, church, 2 children, a high maintenance wife, a social life, professional organization, a model railroad club and a model car club, and political activities. I just don't know how I got cars done, but somehow I did.

I always dreamed about having time to build after I retired, but when I did, it seemed that now that I had the time to spend, I was spending it foolishly, and not getting much done with a new laid back approach. Instead, after a while, I asked myself do I want to build or not, or just hack away at plastic without a purpose. So, now I am back at my old energy, not frantic, but now I take more time to let putty and glue dry and set, to measure and measure again after chopping, channeling and sectioning, to apply putty more carefully. I also invested more in tools to make my models better and build them quicker, and now I have about 20 projects in progress.

I also "branched out' as my level of creativity is now I don't have to answer to anyone except me, and what bounds I have or not. I am now into milder customs, solid paints, big wheels and narrow line tires more, wide whites with steelies, and breaking out of my old molds and going into other stuff. I just chopped my second roof to an AMT 40 Coupe in 50 years of building them, and it came out right on the money.

I am also slowly learning how to build up an album, and my website of choice for my photos is fotki.com. I am just about breaking into a stride, and hope to see you at contests and events in the South, and next spring in the Northeast.

My message is this: Retirement is great for building, but you still must budget your time accordingly or it will get away with you and you lose direction.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

[torinobradley]

You know, I am on these boards daily and am always amazed at how fast some of you produce some great looking models that I know takes myself many, many nights of work just to get to the halfway point. Of course, I see things from my perspective where I have to work, take care of my family, my house and two rentals, obligations with friends and family, birthdays, home improvement projects, four cars and don't see how everyone gets so much done. But I'm not everyone and while my life is busy busy, others don't have as much on their plate. I certainly look forward to retirement and having more free time to work on models and my 1:1 projects but that is a few years off.

Now, in regards to my job. I do enjoy the work and being challenged but I think I enjoy the people and commeradere more than the job. That being said, I feel I'd be happy no matter what I did. One of my favorite jobs was working part time in a local hobby store for minimum wage! I pretty much only did it for the toys... I had my regular job to pay the bills.

And, finding this board. Whole new level of friends, inspiration, ideas, contacts, sources, and commeradere! I have a place where I can go and talk to like minded folks about something we are all passionate about. No more showing the wife, family or friends something and watching their eyes glaze over...

[beefheart22]

I've got a job to do so there's no use complaining.

Attitude is everything. If the job sucks it's because the attitude sucks. But to be fair, those who genuinely like their job are just plain weird.