Early Retirement

Planning for retirement is something everyone needs to consider, I went to work at a water utility company and was so happy to have a good job with a retirement plan and insurance, I signed up for all the options and forgot all about it, my initial plans included early retirement when I turn 55 I just knew retiring early would be really nice, I never knew at the time that I would have a few minor strokes compounded by complications of Type One Diabetes causing extreme muscle weakness and neuropathy, memory loss at the time was really frustrating and as you know we all have the “It will never happen to me” attitude but sometimes it does and I am thankful that I signed up for all the options offered through my retirement plan, I retired officially on April Fools Day in 2003 a couple month before my 43rd birthday, early retirement came too early for me but it’s all good because now I can do just what I want to each day due to the fact I made the proper plans.

Life has a way of changing on you, you start out as a kid that no one listens to, then you grow up and establish a career, find a good person to spend your life with and raise your children to the best of your ability. You are well respected in your community, and a lot of people come to you for answers and/or advice. Your life is going so fast, friends are calling, the kids are growing, and you are struggling to make time for everything and loving the challenge, because everyone listens to you.

Then something happens to change everything, All of a sudden due to things you cannot change or control you find yourself retired from work and sitting at home, the phone is not ringing, the kids are still growing but their lives are going so fast they have no time to ask for your advice. All of a sudden you kind of feel like that kid no one listens to again.

Now you have to train yourself to sit back and enjoy what you have been missing. Slow down and enjoy what you have always had but didn’t have time to enjoy, Do the things you were always going to get around to but didn’t have time for. Your friends are really still there, they are still in the fast lane, but they are still your friends and they really haven’t forgotten you, they will call when they slow down enough to grab the phone. Life is still good so enjoy! Oh yea!! Remember that good person you chose to spend your life with? ----You now have time for them.

My time since retirement in 2003 has been spent with my wife Cindy, we moved to California New Years weekend 2009 to help out Cindy's parents, Our Daughter lives near to us now and Cindy’s Family is here but all of my Family is on the East Coast and Cindy's Boys who I consider mine also are still in NM, my Boys are there also but "due to things you cannot change or control" I have had the door slammed in my face when trying to contact them. A lot of things happen in life both good and bad and sometimes these things you just have to accept no matter how bad you want the outcome to be different. The Good Lord only gives you what you can handle and He has a purpose for us if we are smart enough to follow His lead. Things may not always turn out as you have planned and as I have been told "If you really want to see God laugh---Tell Him What Your Plans Are"

Life is still good and I really do enjoy where I am, so do your best to accept what you have been given because it was given to you for a reason and we are not always given the reasons, the reason you are where you are right now is because Life Happens.