Dear Snow birds

Pipeman wrote:
I've been retired for going on 13 years now. I was one of the lucky ones who loved my job from the start to the finish, so I miss the people I worked with and the adrenalin rush of doing what I loved.I was able to retire at 56. That said, I will say don't push the retirement thing unless you are ready in your head and hopefully financially. Then there is the reality of looking forward to the golden years which aren't always golden. You'll be older and have aches and pains that you don't have now. Time will pass by really fast. Take what you have and live because you could look and feel like some of us do. What darsben said.......

I was thinking exactly this, and even the part of "What darsben said..."'

Been (early) retired for about six years and snowbird each one of them. When I look around all I see are old people in the snowbird parks. ;) Enjoy what you have now and "don't push the retirement thing."

My advice is this, retirement comes in three parts. First part is you have health and money (this is all the positive comments that have been posted so far.) Second part is money is fixed, but prices are going up, and your health becomes a topic. Third part is "will the money last" and health is a major topic.

That first part of retirement only lasts for a very short time, so don't waste all your youth planning for retirement. Enjoy your youth now while you still have it. Jump on a plane and go see Europe if you haven't already.

Also living where you do is simply perfect. In the heat of the summer see the north, in the cold of the winter head further south. Enjoy the spring and fall with family and friends. Retired friends from Kentucky do just this and I view them as being very lucky to have this option.