OK, you said it. It’s out in the open now. Those words you always dreamed about saying that, to your dismay, went over like a lead balloon: “Honey, I think it’s time I retire.”
Visions of sticking it to the boss and riding off into your Yellowstone Ranch sunset aren’t what your spouse envisioned. “What are you going to do all day?” is more like it. Because when we stop and think about it, a big part of our lives is spent away from home working. Away from the day-to-day stuff that makes your life work. Items you may not know about, such as facials, pedicures, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, and more, among other survival items. And now, with you around all day, that way of life is threatened.
So, as a word of caution about you being home: Changing your routine does not, and should not, change that of another person whom you happen to share a bed with.
Another word of caution: your time becomes like a cattle auction, and you never knew how cheap it could be sold for. Want to be a handyman? Bus driver for the kids? A camp counselor? Retire. You’re always on call.
Some words of wisdom I heard last week were in a conversation with a long-time client, a doctor, who has found retirement bliss by working three days a week. “My work is my escape,” he said with a straight face. And this is someone who has plenty of time to travel the globe.
I’m happy to be Your Survival Guy.
There is no magic formula for Your Retirement Life. It is more art than science, and yet it’s an experiment of sorts, figuring out what works for both of you. One thing I know is that we should place a sticky note on our computers in the months before we retire that reads: “Don’t Burn Bridges.” You may need an escape.
Action Line: Do you want help paving the way for Your Retirement Life? I’m happy to be Your Survival Guy. Email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com, and we can test this balloon before it takes flight. You got this.
Read the entire series here.
Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.