I retired at 41 to spend time with my grandchildren

After more than 20 years in the British army, I looked around and I realized that the two children had grown up and made partners. Although divorced from their mom, I had always been in their lives, but I had missed a large part of them while growing during my service.

When my daughter Chantelle announced that I was going to be a grandfather at 41, I decided that I did not want to miss the next generation. I could not afford to abandon the work entirely, but I was determined to find a means.

A few months later, when Daisy pushed his little nose into the world, I instantly fell in love and I knew that I wanted to spend as much time as possible with her. I gave my opinion to my job of dismissal, and four weeks later, I found myself unemployed, with a minimum of savings and in search of a place to live near my children.

I didn’t have as much money, but I loved spending time with my grandchildren

At first, my military pension was my only income. It was not much, but it allowed me the basics and I loved spending time with Daisy. Over the next seven years, four other grandchildren arrived, because my two children provided me with packages of joy.

Meanwhile, my standard of living remained the same. My children knew that I had approached to help them and offered me a home room, but I stayed in my praised room to allow us all of space. I thought several times that I would better get a job, but each time, one of my children announced that there were another, so I stayed the baby-sitter full time, I did shopping, outings and I went to the parks, and all the other wonderful things that I had missed with mine.

Finally, however, when they started the nursery and the school, the work was signaled. However, having played so much freedom and time with the little ones, I was categorical, I was not going to work for long hours; I was not ready to sacrifice my family time just for a little more money.

I worked part -time in a supermarket before finding my real passion

A part -time job emples the shelves in my local supermarket was my first salary in almost 10 years. I forgot what it was to see money entering my bank, but at the same time, I realized that it was not for me. I needed to do something I had a passion. My faithful old Seiko, bought for many years before, was not as faithful and gave me an idea. How difficult could it be to repair a watch?

I watched some YouTube videos that made it easy, and after a few months at the supermarket, I saved enough to buy the tools to serve my own watch.

Obviously, it is anything but easy, but with my seiko in pieces and I crying on youtube videos of qualified watchmakers instantly fixing broken watches, I would become hung.

I worked part-time at the supermarket for more than three years, and these wages and my pension allowed me to live comfortably, to spend a lot of time with the grandchildren and to take a one-year watchmaking course in my local adult education center.

Set watches with my own hands brings me joy

The feeling that I had when I finally saw my seiko working, thanks to my own hands, was something that I will remember for a long time. The feeling that I had when I had a friend’s watch was like fear, and the feeling I had when I was paid the first time to repair a watch was joyful.

I left the supermarket and focused on work during school hours to repair watches. It is a continuous journey of discovery, and although money is often better, it is not as stable, so sometimes I will return to the supermarket. However, now 61 years old, sitting at my office in my two-bedroom apartment with one of my grandchildren when we demonstrate a watch, I know that it was absolutely the ideal time to retire.