Happiness in retirement comes from many small and big moments of joy.

Retirement is a wonderful feeling of freedom.

Getting up only when you want to. No alarm clock ringing, no radio blaring cheerful music you don’t want to hear. Just opening your eyes, snuggling back into the pillows — a feeling of happiness. Looking in the mirror and smiling, thinking: the day can begin. Planning it slowly, or simply letting it unfold.

Breakfast together is a highlight — long, generous, with TV and conversation.

We are both lucky to have been married for so many years and still be able to laugh and talk a lot with our husbands — and even now in retirement we don’t get on each other’s nerves. That is happiness.

Browsing through old recipe booklets and cookbooks, choosing new dishes, shopping in peace. Sorting photos from boxes, putting them into albums, looking closely and remembering beautiful moments.

Listening to the music of our youth with friends late into the night, singing along, reminiscing, then going to bed exhausted — without guilt, because others are doing the work now.

Trying to stay in touch with old colleagues, while many new, kind people come into our lives.

Gladly helping others — no longer bound by schedules, simply being there.
And our gardens: the plants seem to feel our care and thank us by blooming and thriving like never before.

Walking through the garden in the early morning while everyone else is still asleep, hearing the birds chirp wildly, breathing deeply, feeling happy, simply enjoying the time.

Watching the foxes that return to our garden each year, trusting us, lying on the lawn in the sun. A kind of freedom we never knew before. Life used to be ruled by school, work, short holidays, and duty. Now we decide for ourselves. Wonderful.

We are grateful to experience this new stage of life with our husbands, in good health, and to enjoy it together.

Having time just for ourselves. Thinking about what we want to do now. We weren’t unhappy before, but now we are deeply content.

Our great passion is travelling. Planning without stress, without work schedules. Going when we want, not minding if flights or hotels are booked. We can go earlier or later — we have time. Looking forward to the sea, the blue water, the sparkle, swimming, drifting, feeling free — that is happiness for us.

Looking forward makes us happy. The saying “Retirees never have time” fits us well, and that is fine.

We like sewing, mostly mending or shortening our clothes, in the garden house with music and a glass of wine. Sometimes we go shopping, and finish the day with a nice meal.
Series on Netflix or in the media library enrich our lives, especially in winter or on rainy days.

When we began this text, we wondered what to write. Then we realised: there are so many things, moments, and feelings that make us happy.

Retirement, for us, is a self-determined, free, happy life. The older we get, the more we know that life is finite — and that we must cherish and enjoy the happy moments all the more.