No One Really Tells You The Hardest Part Of Getting Older

[AmBlue]

77. Retired early at 62

Last edited Thu Jun 1, 2023, 06:34 PM - Edit history (1)

My job became increasingly stressful to the point it was affecting my health. Within 3 months after retiring my mother, who had already been living with us for 4 years, had a health crisis that caused a rapid escalation of her dementia and she suddenly required 24/7 care. We lost her last year after an exhausting year of one health crisis after another.

After that long sad chapter, my two college age sons really needed attention for a variety of reasons, girlfriend issues, applying for and landing internships 4 states away, and many other things that had suffered while I was focused on my Mom.

Lastly, and very much NOT least, is my long-enduring angel of a husband. We are now gratefully at a place where we can start to knock some things off our bucket list (travel mainly). We're planning to get the heck out of Florida and find a lovely cottage somewhere up New England way, where the weather is cooler, and the politics are bluer. We're going to start enjoying all four seasons (something we've never experienced!).I have also revived and am devoted to refining my piano skills, done some in-depth genealogy, am learning Spanish, and am finally going to explore my artistic side with watercolor, woodworking, and whatever other mediums strike my fancy.

I worked my entire life from age 13, and since I retired have not missed work for a single minute, only the people I worked with. So now we just plan lunch dates and gather at each others' homes instead!

So really, there was no time for a 40+ hr/wk job any longer, and certainly not one that threatened to rob me of my health or the things my family needed from me.

I'd say I'm lucky, but this did not happen without a lot of planning and hard work that made us financially secure enough for me to retire early. However, I do know there is a healthy dose of luck involved too, as we are both in good health as well. But there again, we take care of ourselves, eat healthy, exercise, never smoked, hardly ever drank.

So we're taking our luck and running with it!! I don't think we could ever be bored as we stay busy, and our bucket list is long and exciting! It's time for ME now, and I'm loving it.