I often see comments like "I'll never retire. I wouldn't know what to do with myself, and I can't just sit at home doing nothing all day".

To me, that attitude represents an incredible lack of imagination. Ultimately, the only thing that makes work, "Work" is that you are accepting money in exchange for letting someone else tell you what to do.

Why do so many people feel the need to have someone else tell them what to do? There is an entire world of stuff out there to do. It doesn't even have to cost money, either. Read, or walk, or play music, or garden or bird watch or study something (not necessarily at school, the Internet has everything you could ever want to learn, and a lot you don't). If you are into computers, you can "do" computers without being employed. Sit your butt down and write that book you always wanted to write. Trace your genealogy back a few hundred years and contact some distant cousins you never knew you had.

If you are the type who needs to be involved with people all day every day (and that's not me), then volunteer at a hospital or senior center or church or be a tutor at a school. Do "Meals On Wheels" or find a program where you can visit shut-ins and brighten their day. I wouldn't call an unpaid part-time volunteer activity that you can walk away from anytime, "work". Or just join a few dozen communities like EONS and spend your day chatting with folks online.

Now I'm just depressing myself. There is so much great stuff to do in life, why am I wasting my time at work??? Man, I can't WAIT to retire and start living!