Decisions: Life After Retirement

My husband and I live in a lovely, comfortable house where we raised our two sons. It is a rancher, and with the exception of having the washer and dryer downstairs, it is pretty much a perfect home to age in place. We have a large, private backyard, and we enjoy being outside watching the birds (and the deer outside the fence). We could probably stay here indefinitely; however, we are not near our family. But otherwise, life is good here.

We have one son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren in Long Island; another son lives in Philadelphia. After 36 + years in Baltimore, we made the difficult decision to move to New Jersey, in between our sons so that we could see them more often.

What a difficult, bittersweet decision, but the right one. My husband and I figured it would take two years to downsize. While we thought about it in April, we are moving in 8 weeks! All the stars aligned, and we are moving to a 55 and older community. We found the "right" place, our offer was accepted and we sold our house right away. No looking back.

This is not an easy decision for anyone, especially us, having been in Baltimore for so many years (my husband's hometown). I know where to buy my fresh fish and the best fruit, get my hair cut, and we have all of our doctors.

The question we all ask is should we move now while we are still "young enough" to make new friends and make new lives rather than wait until we are older, perhaps with medical problems with the decision made for us by our kids? There are so many steps and pieces of this "puzzle."  It is daunting. To think about them all makes my head spin and causes great anxiety.

The "easy" parts are finished: we found a place to move to and sold our house. Now, I need to declutter, downsize, and decide what to take (do I need three dozen coffee mugs, a slow cooker, etc.). I need a mover, possibly hire packers, organizers, and write lists upon lists upon lists. We are moving in October.

What furniture do we take? What should we donate or give away? What about the crystal from Aunt Betty?

We must register to vote immediately, or we will lose the opportunity. We need to change our car insurance, register our cars, get new licenses (and hope we can pass the written test). We need to learn all the ins and outs of condo living. Do we keep our landline (cell reception in the building is terrible.) So many decisions!

And one of the biggest things is finding new doctors! We are very comfortable with all of our doctors; they know us, we know them. Replacing our doctors scares me the most.

So, when is the right time to move? Do you stay where you are and age in a comfortable, easy place? If you decide to age in place, it's essential to consider what you will need to stay there. Are the stairs going to be an issue? Where's your washer or dryer? Can you afford additional help to maintain and live in your house?

Many of us will be lucky enough to live long enough to make this decision, and we have to look ahead and not back. With our sons currently living 4-6 hours away, moving now is a good decision for us. It is an adventure we welcome.