When you’re young, the idea of getting old is just that – an idea. You set in motion the plans for saving and creating a safety net for those years far in the future. Then you live your life. You work hard. You spend and save and spend and save… and, as with any life, lots of bumps happen that change the trajectory of your plan. You move. You get married. You have two wonderful step-children who change your life. You survive an incredibly painful marriage and divorce. You move again (twice). Suddenly (and it does happen in a flash) you approach retirement age. You think about the plans you have in place to be comfortable and cared for. You review what you have and what you need…
My “idea” of retirement has had many different iterations. The Denver move was a natural one as I have always been a “city” girl at heart, and I wanted to be closer to my step-kids and their kids. It was a really fun and wonderful adventure until I got broken, then sick, then broken some more, then taking more meds, then seeing more docs, then… well, you get the picture. And, by the way, it’s not the picture I had in mind. We always knew that a downtown condo would not be our “old age” home. And we also knew that we needed to make the move before it was too hard to make a move.
I always assumed my last move (before a care home) would be to somewhere with milder temperatures and good healthcare. My brother always encouraged us to consider Goodyear, but until we made our visit here in February, we weren’t quite sure. Honestly, I wish I were in equal proximity to my sister, too. I miss her, and my health has not allowed me to travel much. She now has health issues as well, so I don’t know when we will see each other in person. And Pat spends his summers in Wyoming, so for six months at least, we are on our own.
That’s not entirely a bad thing, because we really do have to manage things. With two major projects (pool and renovation) and all the little pesky things that pop up when you buy a home, we’re doing a lot in short order. Also the literal little pesky things … bugs, spiders, mosquitos … haven’t had any for 10+ years. Mosquitos like me. I mean, they REALLY like me. I’m covered in bites. Ugh! So add the Orkin guy to our list. That’s the list that includes, the pool guy, the tile guy, the reno guy, the painter, the landscaper, the window guy, the HVAC guys, the solar guy, the handyman … and four new doctors. On we go…
Heat index warning today… 111o