Retirement is a Road Trip
You plan but still must deal with the bumps in the road
Retirement is like a long road trip.
You take out a map and make your plan originating at point A.
You pack as well as you can. You provision as well as you can.
You set out.
In a very used car. For most of us, it is at least 60 years old. You suffer breakdowns along the way.
You celebrate amazing finds and distractions along the way. You meet amazing people, change directions, and find new destinations.
You pull off the road sometimes to regroup, nurse wounds/fix the car, or visit with folks for a while. All you know starting is that the journey will have bumps, detours, and found experiences.
Retirement is just like this: you start with your plan. You estimate how to guarantee a monthly income, provide for medical issues, figure out how to be present for family and friends, and, equally importantly, identify whom you can rely upon during your journey.
You set off.
You can drive every mile, listening to every creak, crack, and pop, wondering if this is the end of the trip because the old car is about to give up the ghost, or you can take a few analgesics with the determination to…
