My 2 cents worth..............I've been blessed, my wife and I were able to take an early retirement without any financial worries, she retired at 60, myself at 62 in December 2013. I loved my work as MIS manager of a 3 office law firm in the Boston area...........and that was the problem the "BOSTON AREA" traffic jams and long commutes, not the work I did. If the headquarters had stayed in the suburbs of Boston where I was originally hired to work I would without a doubt still be working, I went from a 35 minute commute to one that was 90 minutes each way......... 3 hours on the road daily, did it for 2 years and that was enough.........and if there was an accident or snow during the commute it could become 3 hours ONE WAY.

With that said Gary, I was a mirserable the first 60 days of retirement, I still have days I wish I had to show up at the office. How to handle not working after being in the workforce for 48 years? The first few weeks I got up at the usual 5 AM and just couldn't stay home so I went to the gym for a workout. March we went on the road for 5 weeks to sunny Florida, that was a fun break. Then came the arranger jam you and Carol hosted in July............nice no worries about taking time out of work to come to the jam.

I'm taking this year as an adjustment year, I play a few gigs here and there but I need to get my butt in gear and do some marketing. Meanwhile just to keep the brain active I studied material to earn an amateur radio license and passed both the Tech and General license exams on the same day, I'm a photography nut as well that fills the time too. Now that the weather has been great my wife and I speed walk 5 miles per day 6 days per week and the fringe benefit is we both dropped some unwanted pounds since starting the walking program in early June. This coming December 28th we'll take the drive with our 2 dogs to central Florida where we will stay until Apirl 30th then head back north.

Bottom line after all my BS about what I'm doing retired the satisfaction for me comes rom doing something productive. If I were half as busy a musician as you are that would top things off nicely........but at times I'm just a wanna be that's gets frustrated not playing more gigs. Has a tendency to pi$$ me off since after putting down the sauce 30 years ago I've had 2 successful careers one in sales for a Fortune 500 company, then leaving the job with a buyout/retirement program, going back for a degree in computer and network servicing technology and working that for 15 years.

Knowing what I know of you Gary, you'll have to continue entertaining even if it's only an occasional gig. END OF STORY