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Who Am I?
Happy New Year! January 2020 puts me at 2 years to retirement. And, that's two years to figure out who I want to be after I stop working. Unlike a lot of my friends, I do not yet have grandchildren nor hobbies nor friends groups with whom I can look forward to spending more time. I am afraid I will be lonely and bored.
I recently joined a Facebook group for Retirement Planning and saw many others voicing this same concern. However, these concerns were responded to with a wave of the hand, saying, "You'll find your time gets filled" or "I've never been so busy, I wonder how I ever found time for work!" Yes, I have heard people I know say these same things. But all of them frequently travel, have many friends they see often and/or they volunteer their time. What if you don't have a similar safety net?
I am afraid of losing my identity when I stop working. We are trained in school to plan for our future careers. We endeavor and struggle all of our working lives to advance in our careers. As mothers and daughters we put our "free time" into raising a responsible next generation and ensuring our aging parents are comfortable and cared for into their twilight years. I know I'm not alone in having neglected taking care of me.
I started this group hoping to find others facing these and other issues older women -- Boomers and others welcome -- are facing in the hopes that our shared wisdom will light the way forward for our next happy adventures!