Should you be a snowbird or not? YOU get to decide!

It really doesn't matter! This is the third age you are about to enter. You can travel or not this year and do something totally different next year. This is the time in your life when you are given the freedom to change your mind. How cool is that!

But if you decide to travel this year or for the rest of your life and you have a partner in life, you need to make sure that you are both on the same page in the playbook. You need to make soup and talk to each other. It is important.

If we decide to become snowbirds, how can we abandon our family? You fill in the blanks here but it is something you need to face.

1. What are we going to do with all that time? All retirees are faced with the inevitable time together 24/7. Being a snowbird is the perfect answer to getting away from all your friends and family. You can build this new stage in your life into something you have both dreamed of in a fresh environment. You need to find dreams you can share so talk...A LOT. Air those dreams out in the cold light of day. Ask yourself if you are being realistic. See He said Maine - She Said Florida
2. Where will we go? This is where you begin to explore the possibilities of the snowbird lifestyle. You can follow interests in hobbies, work, education, travel, time with grandchildren and so much more. I even love the idea of visiting movie locations or authors home. Get out there a do stuff (a high tech word I use a lot). This is a time for the learning to begin anew and you will never regret it. 
3. Should we delay the dream of being a snowbird? A woman told me several years ago that her husband wanted to travel but she "was just not ready". They owned a horse. He died last week. They never did travel. Delay if you have to but do it for the right reasons. 
4. How will we pay for this? Hopefully you have been watching your finances a long time before retirement day comes. If you haven't you probably will have to delay some of your dreams. It would be nice if retirement travel were an entitlement but it isn't. It is as simple as that. The sooner you start planning financially the bigger those snowbird dreams can be. 
5. I want to do so many things so why am I afraid?  Many treat retirement as the final destination in their real life. Please keep in mind that retirement is just a junction in the road and you get to go the direction that will work for you. If you realize that you didn't go the right way, go another. You will find a lifestyle that works for you. There is no one size fits all retirement life.
6. Is travel my only option? If you travel, I think your family will benefit from your new passion. But it does not matter if you travel or stay at home and start or get more involved in a hobby. You will be a more interesting person and your children /grandchildren will enjoy hearing about your life adventure. 
7. Have you been the go-to parents for your grandchildren? It may be that by the time you retire your family will be ready to fly on their own at least for a little while. Keeping ourselves busy will allow them to do that.

Making your dreams come true may be easier than you think. Living very simply is a good thing and you can make your dollars go further. For example, smaller house may be in the picture. There are many options.

So remember you can do this. Go slow. Find your comfort zone.Your family (son/daughter-in-law/grandchildren) may need you to leave town for a while. Lifelong learning will make retirement meaningful. You will be retired a long time so enjoy. Slow down. You don't need to do everything the first year. Best of all, for once in your life, it may be all about you!

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You Don't need to be Bored in Retirement! Hobbies

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Learning to draw on my ipad!

I heard from a Keith of Keith's Ramblings the other day.  He has just retired and commented on his own blog that he was already bored!  Being the helpful person I am, I suggested he become a clown.  He could join the circus!

Even though I was only joking, in some small way I was serious.  Have you ever dreamed of being a clown...or a writer or a pro-golfer?  Retirement is the time when you can pursue those dreams. The fact that you do not need the income frees you to do what you want without fear of starving!  All you have to do is start.  But being bored really should not be a choice.  You may have a little let down when you retire but before long you will begin thinking about what you will do next.  Retirement will last a long time so "next" is the key word here.

I always wanted to be a writer.  I woke up every morning for years with the first line of the next great American novel on my lips.  My regret now is that I didn't keep a list of those "first" lines.  Peanut's Snoopy and I could have compared notes.  When my husband and I retired, my son suggested that I begin blogging.  We were traveling at the time so I just began talking to my grandchildren by way of the internet.  That dream blog evolved into stories, poetry and eventually this blog about all that retirement holds.

Would you believe that the thing that bothered me the most in the beginning was my keyboarding skills? I wanted to publish what I wrote immediately but being my own editor was harder than I ever dreamed.  Those first few years of writing look so shabby to me now.  I am sure that what I write today will look that way to me in a few years too.

What I have learned is that I am happier when I am busy.  I can still learn with practice so new things don't frighten me anymore.  If for no other reason than happiness, starting a new thing that you can become passionate and even a little obsessed is a good thing.  Being involved will keep you off the streets. Last of all, practice will make you better, stronger and more confident.

Don't tell me you are bored!  Didn't you always want to be a clown?  Today is the day!

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