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I'm not retired but have seen 2 different perspectives that go in line with what some have said above.
My stepdad retired about 8 years ago. He was the type of guy who rode a Harley from the time he was a teen until now so was/is always tinkering with that. Always played tennis. He picked up golfing at one point but wasn't a passion like tennis. Always doing projects around the house. He went into retirement like nothing changed. Enjoyed his hobbies a little more and is constantly on the go. He and my mom split which was a great decision. He moves south of Tampa near his brothers and has been loving life. At 74, he still rides his Harley. On a road trip currently up in St. Louis visiting his son. Every time I talk to him he's got something going on as far as a project or having lunch or dinner with friends.
My father in law retired in April. He had a pretty high stress job in upper management. Lots of budget work meetings, & was oversaw about 300 people. He worked quite a bit. Not one hobby. My mother in law stays home every day and never drives. The extent of their excitement is a weekly trip to Sams and Walmart & church on Sunday. My husband was always asking him to do things and he never had the time. The guy who manages time off said he had the most accumulated out of anyone at the company. I guess his hobby was work. Since retired, we haven't seen them any more than before. I saw him in mid August and he's aged. It made me sad. He & my husband had taken my nephew fishing by the pond. When my FIL came back inside he was worn out and exhausted. Let's just say not much physical activity went into what they were doing for that to be warranted. He still doesn't have any hobbies unless you consider Sams & Walmart one.
When I look at the 2, my step dad is in far better health and has a much more rounded retried life. It's really sad to see that my FIL worked so hard and it's almost like he doesn't know what to do because work was his life. He also missed a lot of time with his family and for what? I guess all this rambling has come down to it's not worth it to fill your life with work & come to the end of that time losing your identity when the work stops or being able to fill that time with things you enjoy because you don't even know what they are.
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