Welcome to the board. You'll find it's populated by some of the friendliest, most helpful, most supportive (and sometimes opinionated) people around. Find two lab owners and they'll give you three opposing opinions on any lab-related topic you can think of.
I am crazy about my rip-snorting, high-drive Field-Champion-Pedigree-out-the-whahzoo lab who is snoring at my feet as I type. Around the house, she's completely laid back. When there is something to do... she has all the enthusiasm you could want and then some. I love that kind of dog.
What my dog has taught me is that drive and enthusiasm is not hard-headedness. (A very common misunderstanding). She is very quick to learn and eager to please. I highly recommend a dog like mine. Except that she does sorta look like a lab/hound cross. I'm gonna say it before someone else does. Her looks would make the Show judges wet themselves they'd be laughing so hard. However, before you conclude that great Field labs are necessarily ugly, check out some of the super photo's IrishWhistler has of his dog Trad and his young pup Max.
Now I'll make a pitch for the Retriever Field Sports (because that's kinda my thing.)
I'm retired too. Ain't it grand? I don't hunt, because if it's moving, I can't hit it. But I love the out of doors and training/competing my dog. Why this sport? Because it reaches deep into the primal genetic code of every Labrador, and it turns them on and lights up something inside them. It's a wonder to see. Don't make the assumption that you won't want to do any of the Hunting Retriever stuff. You might want to go to a hunt test and watch a bunch of dogs run. It's amazing what they can do.
But whether or not it's the field sports, by all means decide to do some specific thing with your dog. A puppy obedience class is foundational for anything else. Labs are smart and they yearn to learn new things. Determine to do things with your dog.