Real feelings and soul searching…….

Let’s face it; turning “66” brings along with it certain labels, such as AARP member, retirement, senior citizen, old geezer, old fart, retiree, blue hair, etc.  It was a dreadful landmark to me, as I dwelt on all the negative connotations, while thinking, “Well, we shouldn’t be put out to pasture just because we have reached someone else’s idea of retirement age.”

These crazy types of things kept rolling around in my head.  Just because on a specific calendar day, you reach a chronological age, which society has determined is “retirement age,” does that mean that when you wake up the next day you are suddenly useless?   So as typical for me I brought humor to it, I shook it off and told myself get over it, and with a not so gentle reminder of; so far this is the oldest age you’ve ever been…and after all old age isn’t for sissies…and it definitely beats the alternative! <Grin>

On a more serious note, do we ever really know for certain if we are choosing the right road in our lives; marriage, divorce, career path, medical decisions? Some people who retire are absolutely sure, others, I would like to think, are more like me, unsure. I went through life with a predetermined idea of what choices we are supposed to make.  I am not sure who or what were the major influences for my thoughts on this; was it my parents, family, friends, media, co-workers?  So I weighed carefully the pros and cons of working for a living - Pros: Living, Cons: Working. <Grin>

As Baby Boomers like me are retiring, I heard someone say, or read somewhere, “Boomers will spend whatever it takes to make them have an enjoyable life in their retirement years, after all they are the wealthiest generation in this country.” Hmm, are they really right?   I would like to think the “Boomers” will eliminate the negativity of “retirement,” and reinvent it as a new career path.  Now doesn’t that sound better, I am changing career paths, instead of retiring? <Grin>

So I told myself, “Self, this is just one more decision in your life, you will have to figure out where you want your life to be headed, and after all don’t  “they say”…life begins at retirement?”  I would love to know who the infamous “THEY” are that are forever being quoted. <Grin>

Onward and upward with my journey.  For the past two years, prior to my turning 66, we had been leasing a home in a retirement community for 55+ called the Trilogy, located in Corona.  I was not satisfied the entire time we lived there, as I kept thinking, is this it?  It was a gated community, with houses ranging from $300,000 to $800,000, depending on the size of the house.  We had to “downsize” to move from a 2200 square ft. three car garage home into a 1786 square ft. house.  Notice I used the word home for one and house for the other, as the smaller place most definitely did not feel like home to me.

I detest the buzz word “downsizing”…no matter how you spin it, it’s traumatic!  You accumulated this stuff throughout your life; memories good and bad are attributed to this stuff.  However, I reasoned with myself and decided the idea of downsizing is to get rid of your stuff because of a lifestyle change. That’s how I decided to look at it, choose your attitude! We were simply moving out the junk to make room for new opportunities. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

OK, BFF hubby and I knew one thing for sure, buying at the Trilogy was not what we wanted. The amenities were not really there, the golf course was in debt, they had one small outdoor pool, and one indoor pool, and the people were very cliquish; they seemed determined to impress you with their vacation trips and latest shopping sprees and their bank accounts.  The houses were really over-priced for what you got; zero yard in the back, just a patio, and you looked into your neighbor’s yard on both sides, no privacy at all.  Ultimately we did not get the feel or sense of a community, and safety was an illusion.  Hah, gated community, really, as I watched people wait for someone to go through the gate and follow them through.

So now began the quest of where to live that would meet all our requirements. BFF and I had decided to stay in California, to be close to our grandchildren and children, top priority we must be within driving distance to visit them.

Stay with me for more ramblings…. and thank you again for taking this retirement journey with me, or as I refer to it “my longest coffee break."  I'm just sayin’…