Retirement can be a lonely place. In 2022, we sold our business and retired to the Florida Keys. We had been snowbirds for several years, and before that, we visited Key West yearly for a few weeks, then a month. My husband’s dream had always been to retire to the Florida Keys, and here we are.
Did I have a dream?
What was my dream for the future? For so many years, I was focused on survival; it never dawned on me that retirement was possible. Don’t you need a pension to retire? That meant having a long career in one industry, preferably with one company. After putting in the time, you earn the right to live comfortably when you retire. But if your life were like mine, there would be no pension, and I knew I couldn’t live on Social Security alone. So, my dream didn’t have a final goal; starting over time and again left little time for dreaming.
Building a real estate business
My final career found me in the real estate business, nothing I had ever thought about in past years. It happened at the right time in the right place, and I was all in. When I got too busy to handle it all myself, Bill got licensed, and when we started Active Adults Realty, our independent real estate brokerage, he became full-time. As we grew our staff and expanded our market to include the whole state of Delaware, I began to think of an exit strategy. My goal was to build a business that could outlive me, be passed on or sold and provide that elusive retirement. After all, I was in my 70s already. In 2022, we achieved that goal.
Retirement
Now what? After counseling hundreds of retiring couples, I had to focus on myself. What did I want to do now that I had the time and the freedom? I did not grow up in Delaware and have lived in many states in different parts of the country since I was 17. I never felt like I had a hometown, so there was no place to which I wanted to return. Should we keep a place in Delaware and spend part of the time in The Keys as snowbirds? For Bill, the choice was easy, and he’s the one with children still in Delaware. He favored moving to The Keys and selling it all in Delaware. It did make sense; why worry about maintenance on two residences at this age? But, moving in retirement has downsides as well as obvious upsides.
Making friends
Relocating after 70 and making new friends is not easy. More time to play Pickleball is one of the upsides, and thanks to Pickleball, we have met many great people. Real friendships take time, however; when you’re the new kid on the block, everyone else has their established friends and activities. I understand now why so many of our real estate clients wanted to move into new home communities targeted to those 55+. Most everyone in those communities had relocated from another state, so they were all in the same boat! Real estate in The Keys is so different. There are no large new home communities; there isn’t enough undeveloped land for that.
Is this our Forever Home?
Only time will tell if this is our forever home. I have always said, “Wherever you go, there you are,” and I still believe that. But retirement takes time and adjustment. What do I want to do and where do I want to do it are questions I am struggling with. The loneliness is real; what will fill that space?