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Tuesday, August 14, 2012

So, You Are Ready for Retirement?

So, you are getting ready to retire! What great days ahead. The primary challenge of retirement is, I think, "What will I do?" Every 'soon to be retired' asks themselves this all important question. Many think that they will while away the days hanging out with their children. Others see themselves hanging out at the beach. Still others see retirement as a time when they will be spending endless h
ours with old friends, perhaps many of which they have lost track with over the years. Everyone has their own vision of what those retirement days will look like.

Then, reality sets in! It always does. You move in to the new house or perhaps fix up the one you have been in for years. You begin to plan and mull over the many opportunities that will be yours. You call the kids and they are always glad to hear from you. You get together often with them those first few months (or years) then you make an unexpected discovery. Your children are all grown up! They have children of their own. They have a life of their own and activities and involvements that demand most of their time. Gradually, as time goes on, your visits are less frequent as are their visits to you. Your not to sure what to make of it all. Come to think of it, how much time did we spend with our parents during our childbearing/raising years?

Then there is hanging out at the beach. That sounds like fun. After all, who could get tired of going to the beach every day? Sun shining, waves crashing upon the sand. A soft wind blows through your hair and surely, you think, this must be paradise! Then, once again, reality sets in. You can spend only so many days at the beach before you start looking for other things to do. Besides, you were getting to much sun anyway.

Then there are old friends. The ones you have been closest to over the years. Surely there must be many that you can spend all your waking hours with!

I think it closer to the truth to realize that none of the above, by themselves, will you find to be satisfying. You begin to capture a new vision. One that is more realistic. It is only when you can position yourself to include ALL of the above that retirement begins to work for you.

Spending some time with the children, some time with old friends and some time at the beach, in the mountains, or on road trips, ect. all come together to make your retirement years meaningful. You will learn to include them all. In other words, you begin to build a life for yourself that includes all of your interests. You begin to see that you cannot depend upon anyone, other than yourself, to put it all together.

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