I had dinner last night with a friend who retired from our company earlier this year. It was encouraging to hear how well his retirement has gone.
The question that came up first was: What have you been doing? That, of course, is nothing more than a riff on the question everyone who moves to Mexico hears: What are you going to do? Several blogger have already answered that question: your day is filled with all the same activities you do now , with the added spice of dealing with the challenges of living in Mexico.
After listening to him, I feel a lot better about the steps I am taking to get ready for my move.
And I have taken two additional steps to make the move a reality. The first was to let my boss know that I actually will retire next year. I have been a bit coy about when I was going to retire. I told him on Thursday that even though I do not have a date set in concrete, it will be in the early part of 2009.
Now, any of you who have been following this blog know that I am not going to go anywhere until I resolve the issue of my house in Salem. I cannot sell it until I get it on the market, and I cannot get it on the market until I get some repairs done. Two weeks after my realtor gave me a list of contractors to help with each of my projects, I have done nothing. She is intervening this afternoon. Kathy is not just a realtor. She is also a landlord, who buys and fixes up homes for rent. Having her expertise handy will do two things: 1) Keep this project moving, and 2) give me access to local talent.
But I now need to get moving. I have to help lead Men's Fellowship this morning. Even though I told our leadership group on Tuesday that I would be transitioning out of my positions at the church, duties seem to keep rolling in.
My friend informed me that the moment he made his decision to retire, time flew by at work. I can already see the wisdom of his advice.
I will keep you posted on the projects.
The question that came up first was: What have you been doing? That, of course, is nothing more than a riff on the question everyone who moves to Mexico hears: What are you going to do? Several blogger have already answered that question: your day is filled with all the same activities you do now , with the added spice of dealing with the challenges of living in Mexico.
After listening to him, I feel a lot better about the steps I am taking to get ready for my move.
And I have taken two additional steps to make the move a reality. The first was to let my boss know that I actually will retire next year. I have been a bit coy about when I was going to retire. I told him on Thursday that even though I do not have a date set in concrete, it will be in the early part of 2009.
Now, any of you who have been following this blog know that I am not going to go anywhere until I resolve the issue of my house in Salem. I cannot sell it until I get it on the market, and I cannot get it on the market until I get some repairs done. Two weeks after my realtor gave me a list of contractors to help with each of my projects, I have done nothing. She is intervening this afternoon. Kathy is not just a realtor. She is also a landlord, who buys and fixes up homes for rent. Having her expertise handy will do two things: 1) Keep this project moving, and 2) give me access to local talent.
But I now need to get moving. I have to help lead Men's Fellowship this morning. Even though I told our leadership group on Tuesday that I would be transitioning out of my positions at the church, duties seem to keep rolling in.
My friend informed me that the moment he made his decision to retire, time flew by at work. I can already see the wisdom of his advice.
I will keep you posted on the projects.
