Not that I will ever retire - as that is for people with nothing to do

What do you mean that's when you can do whatever you want as much as you want and people don't glower angrily at you for "wasting time" when you should be working to the bone at a drudge job that you loathe just like them XD

_{I'm pretty sure this relates to that other post you wrote XD}

later we are able to do more of what we enjoy

Generally yes but when is later? Did I tell you the story of my uncle and my cousins? :D

I also wonder how much of that outcome is self-inflicted

I remember being told a story of someone's parents who had done everything "right" in their lives (worked real hard, saved up, had enough money and super for the entirety of their retirement, were able to live a comfortable (not extravagent by any means) lifestyle that they were happy with, and then their super fund crashed and burned and while that was apparently bailed out by the government (I don't know the full story behind it) all the money it had been investing was lost and there was zero recourse for the people that had lost money so these seniors lost at least half their super (it was just gone and there was absolutely nothing that could be done about it and no one was accountable).

I don't know what the outcome of that was. So while some (possibly a lot?) would probably be very self inflicted, sometimes it's not.

Hayfever sounds like it sucks. J apparently managed to mitigate hayfever with a period of intermittent fasting and cutting down carbs (or maybe just grains, I forget and I can't ask right now and I'll forget later x_x). I don't know how or why that worked. Just in case it's a thing you haven't tried already :)