Retirement is akin to creating your career path. You set goals that you want to achieve over those 50 years. At the same you need a contingency plan to help navigating the shoals and choppy waters you will encounter. Prior to retirement you need to create a similar plan for what you to do: travel, sports, recreation, concert and shows, cultural pursuits, reading, and other activities. Of course, in retirement you don't want tight deadlines. You want a more leisurely pace. You also need a contingency plan because life will be like a roller coaster ride with sharp turns, unexpected twists, ups and downs, and periods of feeling upside down.
I wasn’t that forward thinking when I was younger. Of course, now I appreciate the wisdom of what you recommend. Life is a roller coaster ride! Thanks for reading!
Thank you for this thoughtful piece, Judy. Five years after leaving my full-time corporate job as well as our full-time pastoral ministry, I can honestly say that retirement for us has been what we hoped – a time overflowing with new friends, new opportunities, and new places to visit. There are never enough hours in the day for all we want to do. But I know for many others it does not turn out that way. We know that the sturdy health we currently enjoy could turn on a dime, so we are committed to making the most of every day we have now.
It’s so good to hear of folks who are making the most of their retirement years, and I know you are, Maggie! Your commitment to make the most of every day is inspiring. Thank you!
YES to redirection, Judy . . . even—and especially—the sort that comes from disappointment. Thanks for this valuable perspective.
God has a way of redirecting us in unusual ways, doesn’t he? Thank you for your thoughts, Cheryl!
Retirement is akin to creating your career path. You set goals that you want to achieve over those 50 years. At the same you need a contingency plan to help navigating the shoals and choppy waters you will encounter. Prior to retirement you need to create a similar plan for what you to do: travel, sports, recreation, concert and shows, cultural pursuits, reading, and other activities. Of course, in retirement you don't want tight deadlines. You want a more leisurely pace. You also need a contingency plan because life will be like a roller coaster ride with sharp turns, unexpected twists, ups and downs, and periods of feeling upside down.
I wasn’t that forward thinking when I was younger. Of course, now I appreciate the wisdom of what you recommend. Life is a roller coaster ride! Thanks for reading!
You are preparing me for when my husband retires! Not sure if I’ll ever retire from writing.
I’m not sure I will either!
Thank you for this thoughtful piece, Judy. Five years after leaving my full-time corporate job as well as our full-time pastoral ministry, I can honestly say that retirement for us has been what we hoped – a time overflowing with new friends, new opportunities, and new places to visit. There are never enough hours in the day for all we want to do. But I know for many others it does not turn out that way. We know that the sturdy health we currently enjoy could turn on a dime, so we are committed to making the most of every day we have now.
It’s so good to hear of folks who are making the most of their retirement years, and I know you are, Maggie! Your commitment to make the most of every day is inspiring. Thank you!