Retirement Plans Can Change

I have been retired for 4 years now, and when that final day of my career ended, I thought I had a plan set in stone! Well, things change, and how we deal with those changes can make or break us. I had what I considered a perfect retirement set up. I own a sweet little farm house on a half acre and I couldn't wait to be more than a weekend gardener. I had built a green house, had raised beds full of compost thanks to my chickens, flower beds full of perennials, and all setting in the idyllic town of Ashland, Oregon. I saw myself doing all those things in my community and home that I never had time for when I worked as a social worker at a large hospital. I wanted to join a committee that was working on water issues in our town, become more involved with the local food bank, maybe even teach a few classes as I sharpened my gardening skills. Some of this plan was just getting under way, when this retiree had a real wake up call. I saw my priorities change nearly over night. The defining incident happened this last Christmas holiday. My adult daughter, her boy friend and their two dogs were visiting me from Portland, Oregon where they make their home. After a few days here in Ashland, snowshoeing, eating, enjoying all the beauty of the mountains and lakes, they took off to visit friends in Bend, Oregon. On the way there, they hit black ice and lost control of the car. It was a terrible accident, but gratefully they all survived which was a true miracle. So, what you ask does this have to do with my retirement plans changing? Well log in later this week and I will tell you more about the changes that come in life and how we, who are of a certain age, deal with unexpected change.