Ships Log w32 – Beam Reach

The points of sail. A. in irons (into the wind); B. close hauled; C. beam reach; D. broad reach; E. running (the "no go zone" is shaded

Beam reach, meaning sailing across the wind or a precise point of sail, 45 degrees to the wind. I use this because I want to be precise when I talk about the voyage toward and through retirement.

First of all, why am I so concerned about this voyage?  Why not just go with the flow?  NPR came out with a poll and a series of articles this week, around retirement life, finances and health.  From the article, Robert Blendon, of the Harvard School of Public Health, says “People thinking about retirement don’t envision any of the potential problems that they could face”. “But you have to face up to them, because otherwise it’s very hard just when events start happening to respond.”  Their poll measured the concerns around health and finances for both those planning retirement and those already there.

Age to Retire – NPR Poll

The poll reports that people in retirement feel they are (17%) less happy and (24%) more stressed than the 5 years prior.  If we openly discuss the changes that occur in retirement and plan for those, do we become more optimistic?  For example, I talked with a retired person who did not expect that a lack of routine would be something that would affect them so.

I find it hard not to be Optimistic about the future.  (I repeat myself here) This is a life change and like all life changes, marriage, family, career, you plan for them and you get your thoughts together.  Over the last few weeks, my daughter, who in addition to her Mom and Sister, is planning her wedding.  The family is buzzing around these life change plans.  I am fascinated by drawing the parallel between her life change and mine.  I had some fun with these thoughts and I hope you do also, I think I have them nailed!

Here is a list of those parallel thoughts.

Wedding	Parallel Thought	Retirement
The venue for the affair	Location	Where to live post-retirement (check, done that)
The wedding dress	What to wear	Why would I ever need another new sport coat or tie?
The wedding rings	Symbol of attainment	Hmmm, my contented smile? (okay, a stretch), loss of dark circles under my eyes? Or my ever- “blonding” hair?
The reception	Celebration	A retirement party (got to get on that)
The invitee list	Participants	Our contacts – family, friends
The reception menu	Meals	Can we afford our current dining-out costs?
The Honeymoon	Trips	Need to plan our retirement trip
The cake, music, dancing	Activities	What we have as our hobbies and interests
The wedding budget	Costs	Our retirement budget (and everyone has one)