Complimentary 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Retired Book!

 

BRRRRING! AT 6:00 A.M., BOB ROLLS OUT OF BED, turns on the light, and begins the automatic motions of his morning. Bob has been getting up at the same time every day for decades now. His routine has become so ingrained in his body that he doesn’t even have to think. But today is different.

Bob moves through the motions of his morning. He showers and gets dressed. He shakes his cereal into a bowl and pours himself a cup of coffee. He sits down at the breakfast table, and just as he unfolds the front page of the paper, his wife Betty walks into the kitchen and asks, “So, how does it feel, Bob, being just hours away from retirement?” Bob smiles and shrugs. He’s unsure how to describe this combination of emotions, even though he knows that Betty is here to listen. Since she took some time away from work to care for their two kids when they were young, Betty is still five to seven years away from retirement. She’s excited to support Bob in his next chapter.

Bob feels the warmth of accomplishment, of course, but also the chill of trepidation. He’s worked so hard to get tothis point, but he is apprehensive about what will come next. “I’m not sure,” Bob says. “It’s a little bit of everything. I don’t know how to articulate it. It’s overwhelming.” Bob feels a knot rising in his chest. Betty reaches over to squeeze his shoulder.

“You’re not alone, honey. It’ll be all right. And later today, everybody’s coming together to celebrate you.” Today is different. Throughout the day, Bob’s coworkers come by and shake his hand. When he turns over projects, his coworkers seem to make an extra effort to express their thanks for a job well done. As each piece of his professional responsibility gets placed into another’s capable hands, Bob’s stomach tightens, his mind turning to what the coming weeks will bring. How will he fill his days? How will others see him when he’s no longer a full-time working professional?

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