You Never Know

Expectations - mine 

This is my second attempt at blogging and it's been about 10 years since my last.  The first was about back in 2010 when I was going-on 61, recently let-go from a nicely paid job. Now remember 2010 we were still in the mess of the 2008 crash, so the job market sucked and looking for a good paying job after 60 just isn't and endeavor to wish on anyone.  It didn't take me long to get over the sting of getting let go, but the biggest thing on my mind back then was figuring out what and how we were going to go into retirement.  We decided on moving to Mexico and I wanted to share my excitement and enable people to see someplace they've never been through my eyes.  So I did a travel blog for about 5 years and then I realized I'd blogged about everything and blogging about something for the second time wasn't something that was fun.

Fifteen years later and so much has happened.  This won't be an adventure in the sense of going somewhere different and experiencing a new culture, language, people or anything like that.  This is going to be about "mid-retirement" or the things I've encountered as I travel the road of aging.  I really dislike the sound of the word aging.  I'll probable use multiple terms to describe mid-retirement, but to be clear mid-retirement is about 10 - 15 years after you stop working and when you look forward you think you may have another 10 in you.  Hence, mid-retirement.  So, essentially this is going to be a view, into the life and mindset of a person half way through retirement, looking backward to reflect on things we've done, looking forward on things we want to do, and sometime just a reality check on where we are in the process and the realities of getting older.

I've entitled this first section Expectations - mine so anyone who happens upon this blog, will know upfront what to expect. 

I have, and continue to enjoy my retirement. It's great.   It is definitely the most favorite part of my life.  It is the lengthiest part of my life that I have truly been focused on myself and my family.  It's been the most peaceful, joyful, period of my life and it has also be gut-wrenching horrible, lesson-teaching, awakening time in my life.  Just when you think you've got it all figured out you'll get a curve ball out of nowhere and just say to yourself "WTF?"

My expectations are to tell those that are interested what I expected in retirement, what I experienced during my retirement, and what I am projecting I will have to deal with during the remainder of my retirement.  Why am I going to tell all this in a blog.  Because I have a deep down need to share mainly experiences that I have run into, both good and bad, so that others who may not be there yet, or are there and are experiencing being in the middle and need to see those thoughts they are having are just reality.  I'm open-minded and hope anyone who is reading this is too.

I like writing.  It is a convenient way of sharing thoughts when you have them and you are alone.  I much prefer one-on-one or group interaction, but those are harder to come-by as we age.

Anyway, my expectations are simple. I had my first blog for 5 years, posted 2 to 3 posts per week and included pictures.  I suspect that this one will follow the same path.  I like humor and off-the-wall experiences.  I'm planning on having fun, I will answer questions if asked, and I'm really trying to provide information and entertainment at the same time.  

Welcome aboard.