Retirement - Posted by Harry

Last weekend Sally and I visited our friends in Delaware. The friends have recently moved into a new house in a "planned" community about 10 minutes from Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.

We had a fine weekend, dining on lobster Saturday evening, sitting on the beach Sunday afternoon feeling the embracing warmth of the sun on a cloudless day with temperatures in the 70s. Our friends new house was beautiful, spacious and yet cozy at the same time. They're retired. They're gardening. They're landscaping. They dine out a lot and frequently have house guests and parties. Rick is busy with making art which he's been doing since college. His entire basement is a studio and informal gallery and it's quite impressive.

I'm not sure if I could live in a retirement community, or a planned or gated community, and this is an individual choice or preference, I'm not saying it to cast aspersions on my friends' lifestyle (which looks wonderful) or possibly followers of this blog. Because it is compelling to consider finally settling down with little to deal with or worry about. It makes a lot of sense. You don't have to be old to live in this particular development, which Sally and I thought was one of the more livable in the area. One of our friends neighbors is a young couple with small children. The grounds are impeccably designed and pleasant. There is a gym and entertainment center. There is less evidence of rural or semi-rural sprawl.

Sally and I could not afford a home in one of those communities but I don't really see us living in one if we could afford it. I guess I see retirement as "every day is a weekend" kind of feeling and that's great, no problem there. But I don't see why we couldn't do that and stay in our house, which is most likely how retirement may end up playing out for us. And based on what we would collect from social security (we have no pensions, Rick has a 30-year railroad pension after retiring from Amtrak) the wages would not even cover our living expenses so we would both have to either live off additional income from investments (scant) and keep working in current "you're-over-the-hill" careers or find new work that may help defray the cost of living. I guess if retirement means I would pretty much have every day to do what I please, then sign me up!

Be that as it may, we're happy for our friends and we're happy too!