My Highest Highs & Lowest Lows Since Retiring

I enjoy reading articles and posts by others that I think will be useful, helpful, or entertaining to me. But, if I don't know much about that person I'm a little hesitant to accept what he or she has to say without wondering about credibility. If that is true for me, it is probably true for you. 

So, I thought it is time to get a bit more personal in some of my upcoming posts. If I share enough, you may decide what I say can apply to you. Frankly, I'm also hoping to generate more comments and on-line discussion with this approach. I'm willing to open up to you. I hope that you will be encouraged to share more with me. 

I'll start by revealing some of my highest highs and lowest lows in the nearly 10 years since I had a full time job. A Satisfying Retirement Lifestyle is the title of the blog, not a Pollyanna description of my life. All of it remains a work in progress. This post will detail some of what I believe to be my highest highs since retiring. Do you see any of yourself in these events?

Highest Highs

• When my wife and I decided we had enough money to quit working when I was 52 and she was 47.  Like most of our generation we expected to work into our 60s. I owned my own business that made good money and provided several benefits. My spouse was a fabulous preschool teacher who loved the kids and helping them grow. But for reasons I'll detail in an upcoming post on financial thoughts, we were able to pull the plug. We did it for both business and personal motivations. And the feeling once we had committed to that decision was incredible.
• When our two daughters decided to move back to Phoenix. We had come close a few times to selling our home and moving to San Diego to be near them, our son-in-law, and the grand kids. But, now there was no need. Both girls decided being with family was much more important than cool weather in the summer and the Pacific Ocean. We were overjoyed. Now we had the time to spend with family and suddenly, the opportunity.
• I finished a travel book I had been working on for 7 years.  A combination of my enjoyment of photography and love of writing prompted me to start a book in 2002 about out-of-the-way places in Arizona. Nearly seven years later I finished it, had it bound, and printed enough copies for family and friends. I almost quit working on it several times. But, my wife and family encouraged me to "just do it."  Now that I can see it sitting on my bookshelf I am proud of the end product and pleased I saw the effort through to the end.
• I found the spiritual side of my life. Many books on retirement will tell you that as you get older spiritual questions and searches for answers becomes more common. For me, that was both true and a life-altering process. This isn't a religious blog so I'll keep the heavy stuff to myself. But, in 2003 I suddenly understood all the things that hadn't clicked for me before. My understanding of how I fit into the bigger picture became clear to me.

Next post I'll share some of my lowest lows. And, yes, there are some very low lows. In the meantime, I'd encourage your comments.


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