I’ve thought a lot lately about what it will mean to retire.   I even went on the Merriam-Webster website (www.m-w.com) and considered some of their definitions, like:

1. to withdraw from action or danger
2. to withdraw especially for privacy
3. to move back : recede
4. to withdraw from one’s position or career : conclude one’s working or professional career
5. to pay in full : settle
6. to go to bed

I wonder if I’m the retiring sort.

I plan to find out.  With the support and blessing of my beloved husband and companion of several decades, I will shortly give up a scintillating insurance career in favor of building a more enriching life.  So what’s on my list of things to do (and write about?)  Some of the things on my agenda are:

1. Helping to maximize our assets and planning to help us decide things like when to start taking Social Security, whether to buy or rent our next home, and how much supplemental income we may need in future years.
2. Focusing on our health – managing our meals better, getting more sleep, learning more about dietary supplements, and finding sustainable ways to get exercise all year round – you know, the kind we won’t abandon after two weeks.
3. Finding ways to give more back to the world around me. I have a number of ideas for this – looking forward to actually embarking on some.
4. Undertaking the search for a new home more suited to our evolving lifestyle – with less work needed in the yard, on repairs, and cleaning. Note I said less time needed, not spent – we increasingly avoid doing those tasks ourselves in favor of other activities.  We need to find a sustainable and enjoyable home base from which to launch our future adventures.
5. Planning affordable future adventures.  Our past trips have included everything from canoe trips to cruising, from family visits to a Hawaiian resort, and from overseas travel to museum day trips. We want to keep travelling without breaking the bank. I need to get creative.
6. More quality family time – Mom, kids, grandkids, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces & nephews….we have so many relatives, and they’re an interesting bunch!

So much to research, plan, organize, execute, and write about.  I’m looking forward to the ongoing adventures of the retiring sort.

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