If you are nearing retirement, you have a lot of great things to look forward to. Below are some of the top things recent retirees report they appreciate most.

No more alarm clock – Most people are forced to ignore their natural sleep cycle by waking up with the assistance of an alarm clock. Now you can wake up when your body tells you. Once people have the chance to awaken naturally, they report having much more energy and rely less on stimulants such as coffee to make it through the day.

No more rush hour hassles – No longer are you stuck in the car dealing with the dreaded commute to and from work. You have more freedom to hit the road when you want, avoiding the bumper to bumper chaos.

Constant access to the great outdoors – How often have you been at work on a great spring day wishing you could be enjoying it to the fullest? Now you can!

No standing in line – Whether it’s picking something up at the grocery store, holiday shopping or visiting a normally crowded tourist attraction, now you can avoid the crowds by going on off days or hours.

Pursuing long-time passions – There is only so much time in the day, and when you are spending most of the day working it is hard to clear time to pursue passions and hobbies. Once retired, you can finally have more time to engross yourself in passions or hobbies that bring you the most joy and fulfillment.

You’re the boss – We spend most of our working lives under the supervision of a boss and worrying about what they think of us or our performance. But once retired, we are the boss and have more control of our schedules. Many report that this is one of the most liberating things about retirement, and that it rekindles a feeling they have not had since they were kids.           

Reconnecting with friends – The demands of work and home can sometimes make it hard to stay in touch with your friends. Many retirees report that they appreciate the extra time they have to rekindle lifelong friendships as well make new friends.