moving forward

When I retired almost five years ago, I really didn't know what that meant for my husband and I. We had visions of traveling to Maine to eat lobster, to cruise through the Panama Canal, to soak up the sun in Hawaii all the while sipping tropical drinks, and so much more.

We envisioned having adventures of some kind. Possibly even moving South.

So far family has tied up most of our retirement, which is okay, because it's giving us time to figure out what we want in our next chapter.

But the time has come to move forward with plans.... we're not exactly certain what those are yet, but we know they may involve sunshine... maybe some sand.... possibly an extended stay in Hawaii at some point.

Mostly, I want adventures again. I want to throw our daily routine out the window, do nothing at all if the mood suits us.

I want to live in Hawaii for a year's time, then pack up and move to a cabin in the woods, filled with books waiting to be read. I want to wake up in the morning and look out over a stream or small river.

I want to grow a vegetable garden. Visit Farmer's Markets. Ride Amtrak.

I want to experience rain somewhere else. And maybe not be quite so cold, somewhere else.

I want to spend time with family that I have lived away from for 40 years.

Yes, it's time for some adventures. To throw caution to the wind and just go for it. If it doesn't work out, so what? At least we would have tried. So from this day forward, my focus is going to be on the next chapter and what we need to do to get there.