Spontaneity Returns During Retirement

 As soon as we got home we checked all the airline fares and realized there was no way we could afford last minute tickets. The prices were outrageous. My husband said how about a road trip? At first I thought he was crazy. From our house to their house was 1392 miles. We would have to drive 12 hours per day to get to Chicago in 2 days. We approximated the cost of gas, food and lodging plus expense money and gifts. It was still a lot cheaper than last minute airfare. Why not go for it?

Just thinking about seeing my children and grandchildren snapped me out of my funk. We could do it! We had the time and the motivation. All we needed to do was make proper arrangements for our dog and we could hit the open road.  I don’t think I’ve done anything this spontaneous since college. Wow! It felt good. What a change from when I was working and had to choose my vacation weeks a year in advance. I could never have pulled off this trip while I was working. The joy of being able to throw our bags in the trunk and take off on one day’s notice would have been impossible. Now we could take as long as we wanted to return home with no worries about job responsibilities and what would be waiting when we came back. My husband and I had a wonderful time. We worked hard helping the kids get ready for their move. We had the pleasure of playing with the grandchildren and their pets.

Visiting with other members of the family, as well as getting the opportunity to enjoy many foods that are Chicago specialties only added to our experience. The drive to Chicago and back to Florida was beautiful. We saw magnificent scenery and stopped at local tourist places of interest. My husband even got a chance to eat at a Cracker Barrel. I could not believe he had never been to one in his life. All in all it was one of the best trips ever. We can’t wait to do it again!

Categories: Work Life Balance, Things You Need to Know, Retirement, Career Management & Transition