Have you ever taken a trip that was planned by a third party…
- maybe a National Geographic voyage or
- that long-awaited trip to Paris or
- that road trip to wine country in California where their travel bureau highlighted where you should go and what you should taste?
You probably also have made your own trips with no third party help. You can make reservations and just go. Or my partner’s stories about heading to The Boundary Waters and taking a friend along with the understanding that their tent and their sleeping bags and living off the land would be a great idea. He survived and even did it again up into Canada until they broke their canoe in half on a waterfall and limped back home…with the hands-on help of a small troop of boy scouts (ask him to tell the story).
But there is also the one that I doubt no one has taken on. Did you just plan to attend a college that seemed to suit your career plans by just showing up? Probably not, because we all know that an application and preparation are both key to gaining acceptance to a university. Retirement doesn’t have an ACT or SAT, but it does have requirements!
What do these latter have in common? They all lack research and the plan and preparation that grow out of thoughtful research into what will happen on the road ahead. Rewind…
Everyone knows that they won’t work forever. Most plan for the next stage by participating in the company’s 401K and knowing how Social Security will help. Okay, that’s the money part…or at least some of it. How much does it cost to retire in the manner you want to live? And what will change that? But there is more … a lot more.
If your work career gave you fulfillment and meaning, what will give you fulfillment and meaning in your second phase. If your life before retirement rewarded you beyond money, what is going to give you that feeling after you’ve stopped punching the clock at the office or plant.
One of my early lessons in planning for a next stage came from a gentleman who cared for my lawn after my husband died. He was well into his sixties and drove a very used van with faded lettering of a delivery service on the panels. He answered my question one day about the hard work at this stage of his life. He looked me in the eye and said, “I saw the other delivery guys I worked with hit 65, retire, go home to sit on their couches, binge and die.” He had picked up the summer job his son had grown to help him pay for his college and made it his mission and his secret to staying healthy. I processed…
So, it’s about money, yes. It’s about staying active, yes. It’s about meaning, yes. It’s about your health, yes. And remember the future is uncharted territory. Make your list, and if you have a partner, bring your lists together to prioritize. If an adventure or a change in residence or anything is high on your list or if there is anything that requires exertion or endurance, push those higher up on your priorities. The rest sort out by alternating turns to set a time for them. Retirement may seem like you have forever, but it really is only right now, and your “right now” will be different tomorrow than it was today. Remember the three stages of life as told by those in the three stages: go-go, slow-go, and no-go. Be prepared.
Charlotte Bishop is an Aging Life Care Advisor, Retirement Lifestyle Coach and founder of Creative Care Management, LLC, certified professionals who are geriatric advocates, resources, counselors and friends to older adults and their families in metropolitan Chicago. She also is the co-author of How Do I Know You? A Caregiver’s Lifesaver for Dealing with Dementia.
