After working more than four decades of your life, retirement is finally approaching. You have been looking forward to this day for so long now, you can’t really remember what it is you wanted to do once you left the job that had consumed your life for so long. Even though there are a million and one things to do around the house, that’s not something you are really looking forward to.
After all, it will be like leaving one job with a great salary to go home to do other jobs for which you won’t get paid, and the only gratitude will be when you look around to see the progress you have made. Here’s a thought. Instead of looking to the future with trepidation because you aren’t thrilled about the tasks that lie ahead and all that empty time when you will miss being needed, maybe it’s time to think about simplifying your life instead.
Leave the Worries to Someone Else
Have you thought about selling that house that has grown way too big for your needs? It may be just you and your wife at this point in your life. All the kids are grown and have families of their own. They rarely come to visit anymore and when they do, it’s usually for a holiday meal or someone’s birthday. Maybe you should sell that house on the suburbs of Chicago to move into a nice residential independent living Forest Park IL senior community. Let the new owner mow the lawn, cut back the trees and shovel snow in the winter.
Why Independent Living?
At this point, you need very little help with your daily life. You are not experiencing any memory loss, nor have you faced any serious physical limitations. You simply want to take it easy and enjoy the healthy years you have ahead. That’s exactly what independent living is all about. However, realistically you will need to face the fact that you aren’t getting any younger and at some point, you may need help with daily life, and maybe even memory care.
Age-related memory loss is common, so you can’t avoid that fact forever. It is easy to transition to assisted living or memory care if you choose a senior residence that has those options available. That’s one of the most important reasons to consider this kind of living arrangement.
Belonging to a Community of Seniors
One of the things you will sorely miss when retiring is the day-to-day interaction with your coworkers. It is all too easy to become isolated in retirement but if you move into a senior residence now, you will have a whole community of others just like yourself and your wife. Staying social is an important way to forestall the ravages of time and you will find that you are kept mentally and physically fit by being active with your new peers in your new community.
If you can eliminate all that upkeep on your home, you will find that it’s easier to live that quality of life you had always dreamed of in retirement. You can travel, spend time playing cards with other residents of the community, all the while knowing that if you should need help at some point, it’s right there waiting to be of assistance. It’s the simplest way to ease yourself into retirement and the safest as well. You’ll be so much happier once you are settled in.
