We will be living in the RV for the week between leaving the old house and being able to move into in the new one. While not really a vacation, it will be nice to take a break from cleaning and packing.
As April comes to a close, I look back on the past four months of the New Year and must pause. It has been a very eventful time, including the death of my dad, this move, taking Tai Chi lessons, watching over my youngest daughter's new cocker spaniel.....if this pace keeps up I will need to pick the word, nap, for 2016.
In two months we pack up the RV again and head to Portland for the summer. I doubt the new house will even be fully unpacked by then, but we have been planning this trip for 10 months, well before the thought of a move crossed our mind. It will be fun to hit the road again and have new experiences as well as see old friends.
I am also approaching the 5 year mark for this blog. It is time for the word, move to apply to these pages. It is time for me to move on to something else. It is time for Satisfying Retirement to retire.
Two books, contributions to three others, national magazine articles, 660 posts, 50,000 views per month, and over 1.7 million page views since the beginning: I feel good about what has happened here. I feel especially good, and eternally grateful, to those readers who have helped me make this blog a pleasure to write and so much fun to read and respond to the incredible comments (over 14,000 at last count).
There has been a real community built here, folks with all sorts of opinions, ideas and insights. The quality and level of discourse has always been a positive. Unlike too many other blogs, we have always been respectful and supportive of each other, even when we disagree. That is too rare in today's world; the fact that it was alive on these pages is very satisfying.
I have no idea what I will be doing next. With settling into a new house and a new neighborhood, and then being gone until early September, I won't even have time to give it much thought until after Labor Day. Then, we will see.
I will leave the blog right here for the foreseeable future. Feel free to come back and re-read old favorites or spend some time reading posts you might have missed over the past 5 years.
Please feel free to leave a comment or your thoughts on this post. With my Internet link being disconnected this weekend I may not be able to respond to each, but know that I will read what you write and treasure your involvement.
My warmest regards, deepest respect, and a heartfelt thanks to you. My Satisfying Retirement would have been much less joyful and rich without these last 5 years of having you be part of my family.
Goodbye, and Godspeed.
Moving back to "IRL". Enjoy the journey. It has been a pleasure!
ReplyDeleteYour blog was always the first I would check each morning. You will be sorely missed, and somehow it will feel like missing my first cup of tea in the morning! You have provided amazing insight into a satisfying life beyond retirement. Your words have given hope, comfort, and inspiration to many, many people.
ReplyDeleteYou have left some very big shoes to fill. Your unique approach to blogging is something that we will miss. Your readers could always count on hearing from your heart, honest opinions, fair-minded discourse, and informative, educational information.
That being said, I am so happy for you and Betty as you embark on this next incredible journey. What an exciting time for you, as you venture into a new home, and a life filled with new activities and travel.
I am sure I speak for many as I say I wish you well, and thank you for this amazing blog that has helped so many.
Farewell Bob. Best of luck to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the time and effort you invested in your blog. This shared discourse has been interesting and valuable. I will miss your blog, but certainly understand the need for change. May God richly bless you and your loved ones as you embark on this new chapter of your life.
ReplyDeleteI only recently became a reader and this quickly became my favorite retirement blog. I'm very sad to see you go. Your writing has been very informative and inspirational. Best wishes in your new endeavors.
ReplyDeleteFor you & Betty, much joy & excitement! You have been an invaluable friend as I moved through my retirement three years ago.I have been twice blessed; I worked for an amazing boss who exuded magnificence herself & expected it from her staff (& mostly got it!) and comments on your blog came back from, as you say, "the best readers in the world" because you modeled it and expected it from us. Creating that climate of excellence isn't easy. Know that you have performed a great service for a great number of folks.
ReplyDeleteFor me, sadness-----I will miss you on my morning computer, but will re-read your back posts. We'll see you later in the year!! (& yup, nap for 2016......but you are no longer bored!) lol
pam
I gained much wisdom from you the past few years and so I now feel ready to enjoy my "Satisfying Retirement" in only 65 more days! THANKS!
ReplyDeleteBob, your blog has been a source of inspiration to me as well as incredibly informative as I am on the final approach for I hope is my own satisfying retirement. I will miss you insights and sage approach to life. My best wishes to you and Betty and may God bless your future endeavors in all ways.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to think of this as 'so long' and not 'good-by'. You've been through a lot this year and heading into a move will be time-consuming. I didn't post nearly as much when we were going through it last fall, but my friends and readers hung around and were very supportive. I'm sure you'll feel the need to share your new adventures down the road. We'll be here waiting to read about them. All the best to you and Betty!
ReplyDeletexob
How sad, I have delighted in following your adventures and your retirement. Please consider coming back. How can we not know how the move turns out or your trip this summer??? We will miss you and Betty andBailey. Cindy
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to you and Betty as you make your move. I have enjoyed your blog so much and hope that some day you will write again. You've been such an encourage to many of us as we cross that threshold and begin our own satisfying retirement....Glenda
ReplyDeleteAll the best to you and your wife on your new adventure together! I hope at some point you will come back and give us updates as you feel the need!
ReplyDeleteBob, thank you for all that you have contributed to a community of retirees. I was referred to this blog at an information session on retirement. It became the first blog that I tuned into in the morning with my first cup of coffee. It has been insightful and thought provoking. If you see your readers as respectful and supportive, I think it's in response to your manner. You set the bar high. Good luck to you and Betty in your future endeavors. Be well. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations and best wishes on your new home and the changes that will bring! I thank you for being a catalyst that led me to begin my own blogging experience a little over two years ago. I look forward to hearing from you again in some future corner of the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that you are ending your blog, but I wish you success in whatever you do next. I have read your blog since I discovered it last July, and enjoyed seeing your thoughts and questions about life in retirement and other issues. My best to you and your wife in your new home. I hope to see your writing online again soon, in another form perhaps.
ReplyDeleteTo the comments left above, thank so so much for your kind words and support. Know I will be thinking about you when I start my day with the Internet and a cup of coffee,
ReplyDeleteAs you can imagine after nearly 5 years of doing something it feels a little strange to not have another blog post ready to go. Writing is therapeutic for me and my primary creative outlet.
I would imagine I will come back to blogging at some point, but probably not with retirement as the focus. As the next to last post noted, retirement is evolving from what it used to be. An increasing number of folks don't see traditional retirement as a goal. Maybe I can write about all the parts of this stage of life and not just how it impacts retirement.
I will see how "itchy" I get to start from scratch and tackle a whole new subject.
In the meantime, have a great spring and summer. Make memories, make friends, and make this time of life your best ever.
I look forward to your blogs and will miss them. I wish you could just come back every few months and say that you have taken up a new hobby or just that life is going well with you. Maybe you could just let us know if you have a new blog. You can tell that I am not taking this well. :-) Wishing you the best on your move and your vacation and all your new pursuits.
ReplyDeleteBoy will we miss you, but I appreciate the desire to remain in real life and I am sure yours will be full. I'm changing my blogging style t o a lifestyle blog and trying to decide if I can do that under the living richly retirement url. Please come back and let us know if you are writing somewhere else. Maybe on all that classic ricj?
ReplyDeleteOur brief connection on your blog has been an inspiration to me as I searched for wisdom for my own retirement. God Bless on your next step of the journey.
ReplyDeleteEven though we haven't met in person, I'll miss visiting and keeping up with your life. Please know you've had a huge impact on me! You were the impetus for me to retire two years ago, and you gave my wife and me the extra push we needed to move last year.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes doesn't come close to the warm regards I have for you. Please come back at some future time and just "check in. God bless you mightily!
Jeff in OK
I agree with the sentiments already posted. I have never met you or Betty but I feel like I will be losing a couple of friends. I will miss sharing your life situations and will miss your no nonsense advice and comments about all sorts of situations. You have certainly made a difference in how I look at some things now! I wish you and your wonderful wife all the best. Enjoy your life, your family, your new home. I look forward to hearing about your life's adventures in the future! Thanks for all you have done.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for all your help during my five years of retirement. wishing joy and good health to you and your family. I am hoping you will get the urge to write a post once and awhile.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes! Thank you for all the wonderful posts. God bless and keep you and yours!
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was "Oh no, say it ain't so!!! " This is my 2nd time ever commenting on any blog and the first time was a comment on YOUR blog Bob. I have so appreciated all your entries and will miss your blog. I will take some comfort in reading over previous entries as I am a relatively new reader.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best in your move and yourtrip and will hope to discover you again, when you're ready, in the blogosphere. God bless.
You'll be missed sir! Thanks for all that you shared; and, I think I speak for everyone in saying that we'll "forgive you" if you decide to make a comeback and share some more of your insights
ReplyDeleteYou've been a mainstay of retirement blogging, and we'll all be sorry to see you go. Our only hope -- you've left the door open for your return. Godspeed.
ReplyDeleteHappy trails to you! I think I've been with you almost since the beginning, and it's been just grand. I have enjoyed the information you've shared, your musings as life evolved, the reports on your travel adventures, and the community of frequent commenters. I wish you & Betty all good things in this next chapter of your lives. Thanks so much, Bob!
ReplyDeletePauline in Ithaca
Sincere best wishes Bob! Your blog will be missed.
ReplyDeleteSimilar situations over here in Mesa. Just moved back to our old house (it's great.) Facing the imminent passing passing of my good friend and business partner (no so great.) And soon heading to Minnesota in our RV (can't wait to see the grandkids.)
Perhaps we should get together again in the fall and compare notes. In the meantime, have a great summer in Portland (old friends there and a favorite of ours too.) 73 - Daryl
Thanks for all of your work and insights shared in this blog, Bob. I've been following you for most of the five years with great interest and appreciation. In a way, you are both unique and the "everyman" for people planning for, or in, retirement. You are unique in your wisdom and style and the everyman in showing us that your life is just like ours. I sent you a private email once, asking your opinion and it was quickly replied to with reasonable perspective. Thanks for that. You and Betty are in my prayers today and in the future. Bono fortune! ~Nik
ReplyDeleteKeep in touch!
ReplyDeleteIt has been an interesting, enlightening, sometimes confusing but always fun journey with you these past 5 years. I thank you for your feedback early on in my blogging adventure as well as your heartfelt insights shared along the way. I wish you the best of luck in your move and know you and Betty will have a wonderful and rewarding retirement. Take care.
ReplyDeleteBob, while many of us are sad to receive the news, I sincerely hope for the best for you and Betty in all your endeavors. Your thoughts and missives have been a lot of fun to read, and the comments from others has been helpful as well. You both will be super busy during the upcoming months, so all I can do is wish you the best. And know you have a friend in TN if you decide to visit our state. Thanks, Bob, and God bless.
ReplyDeleteBob, I'll join with all of the comments above to say thank you and to wish you and Betty the very best.
ReplyDeleteSince you'll be visiting Portland and the states AND camping, I'll invite you to email me. I'd be pleased to give some recommendations for great campgrounds and must see sights here in Oregon.
Dave T in Milwaukie, OR
Oh no you are one of the best blogs out there, I will miss seeing new ones. Thank you for keeping the site up though, I find myself going back to look at information about retirement information you have blogged on in the past. Will miss your posts but thanks for keeping the site up.
ReplyDeleteGodspeed! I know you and Betty have many exciting adventure ahead.. will miss your sharing and your wisdom..
ReplyDeletegive us a holler if your RV turns towards Payson/Pine?strawberry!! Anytime!!
Sorry to see you go, retirement blogging will be missing a great voice--a voice of reason and optimism. But I know you'll be enjoying the next phase of your retirement, whatever it holds!
ReplyDeleteWill miss your insights. Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteI don't comment often, but I read your blog faithfully. It's been great, but I certainly understand your wanting to move along given your upcoming agenda. Happy trails!
ReplyDeleteAs of today I am disabling the ability to add additional comments.From this point forward virtually anything left would be spam.
DeleteTo all those who left thoughts and reactions, I am so appreciative of your participation and support. I have some thoughts for a blog that doesn't focus on retirement that may come to pass, but not until this fall when I return from the summer RV trip to Oregon.
If you have enjoyed what I have written, you may want to make a note to check back here starting in mid September. If I do start the new blog I will talk about it here and provide a link to my new site.
An exciting new chapter lies ahead. I am anxious to get started.
Love to you all.