Marilyn Degodny Winters
"Health Forced Retirement"
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Retirement Forces Difficult Choices
February 01, 2012 by Marilyn Degodny Winters
My husband, Randy, and I must make a difficult choice. Now that we are both retired and living on a fixed income, we have to choose between taking a trip to see my children who are moving to Scottsdale or replacing the flooring in our home. We have the savings to do one or the other, but not both right now.
Oops! What About the Dog?
We also have to take into account our dog, DeeJay. If we travel to Scottsdale from Ft. Lauderdale we would stay for a week. It is too long a trip for a weekend visit. Being dog people we don’t like to leave DeeJay for more than a few hours. Is it feasible to take a dog on an eight-hour plane trip with a stop over? He is too large to fit under a seat so he would have to stay in the cargo area with the luggage. That seems cruel. Should we leave DeeJay at home and get a dog sitter? Could we afford to pay the additional costs of dog care and still afford the trip? Or, should we forget about going to Arizona now and get a new floor? I guess it will come down to what we need to do to help my children with their move.
Will my Disability Impact Travel Plans?
In addition to the problem of what to do about DeeJay, I have to consider my health issues. How difficult will it be for me to handle a trip of that magnitude with a seven-day turn around? Can I do it? In my head I believe I can, but will my body be as cooperative? As a parent my first thought is to do whatever I can to make my child’s life easier. Does that thought process have to change, as I get older? Do I need to put myself first now?
As parents we always want to do the right thing. Balancing how much help one can give adult children is an issue many retirees are facing in today’s weak economy. Can we afford to take money out of a battered IRA, spending several thousands of dollars for a trip, when we need things at home? Or handle the stress of such a trip when you need to take care of yourself?
These are the questions that I must now try to resolve. I think it will only get more difficult to make tough choices as my life as a retiree continues.
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