Do Retirement Dreams Come True?

Retirement dreams change throughout life. What you end up doing in retirement is most often entirely different than your earlier retirement dreams. My wife and I would know. Our retirement dreams ended up taking us places we never would’ve expected.

Retirement Dreams

Beach Retirement Dream

In our 30s, my wife and I loved going to the beach and thought that moving to Florida and living near the beach would be just great. Not working, going to the beach when we wanted, eating plenty of seafood—that would be the life! Many individuals have that dream. Here are some of the reasons why I think a beach retirement appeals to so many people:

• Scenic views
• Mild climate
• Outdoor activities
• Community atmosphere
• Health benefits
• Cultural and recreational opportunities
• Travel opportunities
• Real estate options galore

Farm Retirement Dream

In our 40s, we bought a 2-acre lot near the lake. Our minds wandered. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to get some land, maybe 20 to 50 acres with a farmhouse? Plus, a garden or small fishing lake would be nice. I could split firewood and work the land to stay in shape. Mary Ann could garden and can the fruits and vegetables we grew. While not as popular as the beach retirement dream, many folks may be drawn to a farm retirement dream for a lot of reasons. Some of those include:

• Peaceful environment
• Connection with nature
• Outdoor activities
• Local food and agriculture
• Stewardship of the land
• Challenges and rewards
• Greater sense of purpose
• Sustainable living

RV Travel Retirement Dream

In our 50s, we were enjoying traveling. Naturally, we considered buying an RV and traveling full-time. Wouldn’t it be nice to buy an RV and just travel the country? Going where we wanted when we wanted sounded like a dream come true. We wouldn’t need much space. We’d just be going and doing and seeing the country. I’m sure a lot of people, both old and young, have shared this dream. This is why I think it’s so popular:

• Freedom to explore
• Flexible lifestyle
• Downsizing
• Cost-effective living
• Adventure and new experiences
• Continuous change of scenery
• Traveling at your own pace

Retirement Dream Come True

In our 60s, when the time came for us to retire, we evaluated our retirement dreams.

The Beach Retirement Dream was no longer something we wanted to do. We don’t like being out in the sun that much. The beach is sandy and hot and crowded. Maybe that was no longer right for us.

Likewise, the Farm Retirement Dream was no longer appealing to us anymore either. All the chores and responsibilities were in the wrong direction for us; we wanted to simplify. The isolated life on a farm was no longer appealing.

We weren’t up to the RV Travel Retirement Dream, after all. Think of all the things that could go wrong on the road. Would safety be a concern? You need to have a lot of energy to drive one of those big RVs. Nope, not for us.

Our Retirement Life

After trying the weekend stays at several Del Webb Communities, we decided this is where we would start our retirement life.

We loved taking cruises. Some other people described Del Webb Communities as a cruise ship on land, and we’ve found that to be true. We can still vacation at the beach or travel wherever we want, but it’s nice having so much available right in our community.

Now that we’ve living here for one year, we still like our new community. From pickleball with friends to dinner parties to on-site exercise facilities, we never run out of anything to do. Of course, we’ve also met some truly wonderful folks in our community. A great retirement is having things you like to do, with people you like to do them with. That, my friends, is the very definition of a dream come true.

Looking for more?

Looking for even more great articles like this one? Then be sure to check out these before you leave:

• 4 Ways a Flexible Schedule Can Save Money in Retirement
• Top 5 Retirement Worries That Baby Boomers Have (And What To Do About Them)
• How to Keep Retirement Interesting (Plus, 5 Tips on Active Listening)
• 6 Tips for a Stress-Free Relocation After Retirement
• 7 Essential Wellness Tips for Baby Boomers Nearing Retirement
• Top 10 Retirement Blunders Most People Make (And How You Can Avoid Them)