Retiree's Dilemma

Retiree’s Dilemma: To Move or Not to Move (closer to the kids)

       We’re renting a cute little house in the middle of Gainesville for the summer. I know, I know, the worse time to live in Gainesville, Florida. Even though it is really, really hot in south Florida, at least we have those Atlantic breezes. Not here. And it hasn’t even started to get brutally hot yet. But the purpose of coming up here wasn’t to experience the weather; it was to see how it feels to live near our grown, busy children. The assured us that they would love to have us closer, and so far, after over a month, they have done nothing to make us think otherwise. In fact, they seem quite pleased that we are here. They stop by on their ways to various places and they arrange to meet up with us for meals, movies, etc. And we have a good time.

         Good times aside, an unexpected side effect of this move has made me more introspective than usual. (See the above post). Not having a job that demanded my creative efforts to engage and entertain bored remedial college students probably has something to do with it, but also just breaking out of the routine and waking up somewhere else every day contributes to my relentless inner murmurings. So far this blog thing has proved above my skill set; I haven’t gotten it “out there” because I don’t know how, really. I haven’t posted pictures, videos, or even made it very dynamic. Maybe I’ll learn that – later. For now, it’s just the inner musings going on.

       I have a lot less time to roam this planet than I already spent here, and even though I know that at every level, I don’t think too much about what I want to do with the time I have left. Mostly I was putting one foot in front of the other, happy to have a job that kept my brain alive and to be able to interact with people I respected and enjoyed, for the most part. There are even some notable students that have made what I do seem worth it. (Here’s to you Jimmy, wherever you are.) It’s easy to stick with what you know.

      So here’s the question: If you have made a major move in your golden years – one that brought you closer to your loved ones rather than farther away from them – how did that work out for you? If you gave up a job that at least made you feel…useful/productive, do you miss it? Did you find something else that was able to challenge you and keep your brain from rotting in your skull? Did your relationships with said loved ones blossom or wither? Did you find out things you’d rather have not known, or do you feel grateful to have added insight into the personalities of the people they became? Were you able to resist the impulse to interfere in their lives or not so much? What do you think?