It seems like an age since I wrote anything about retirement – probably because it was over a year ago when we were in lock down and going nowhere. In my last retirement post I talked about being stuck and going nowhere. I am pleased to say that all that has changed!
We really did get moving and we have settled in a new house in a new State and are ready to get cracking with our lives again. Was it easy? No, but it was (and still is) an adventure and I wouldn’t change it even if I could.
We all need to take a risk now and then and step out in faith.
But there are some pros and cons? I’ll start with the cons first then get to the good stuff last. But first let me give some context, because we didn’t just move to the next suburb, we moved to another State and we now live in a country town not a a big city. A bit of a culture shock………..
Our plans for retirement went out the window with the onset of the pandemic and we are not alone in this. As we all come out of the madness of lockdowns, testing and isolation we need to reassess our dreams and plans and get going again. We, like many other people, had major holidays cancelled and for the moment we are ok with that and really can’t see ourselves going overseas for quite some time. But our plans to sell our house were not just delayed but also made more difficult to execute because of the mass exodus of people from the big cities and the housing shortage. Other factors also impacted our plans including the extended rain period in Sydney and along the East coast of Australia. So we had to rethink and make some radical decisions. We wanted out of the city and out of the rain so we moved interstate to a much drier climate. This meant leaving lots of family members behind but then they are only ever a phone call away and the isolation of the pandemic meant that we had spent very little time with them over recent years anyway.
What did we do? We sold our house, gave away most of our furniture packed up the rest in a container and headed off in our car for an unknown destination. We lived in Airbnb accommodation for two and a half months and searched for our next home. An adventure worth doing for sure.
So now for the cons of making such a move (just in case you are thinking of doing something similar)…
- Many people could not imagine themselves making such a move so they were very vocal in telling us that we were crazy. This can be a bit unsettling if you are not 100% certain of your decisions so get your head on straight before you tell people what you are planning.
- If you have lived in a house for a long time there will most likely be lots of ‘stuff ‘ to get rid of. I wrote about this in an earlier post. The decluttering process can be daunting and may even stop you from making the move. Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster as you throw out old furniture. We decided that we wanted to start with a clean slate and so we gave away almost all of our furniture and lighten out load before we moved.
- You will be living in a state of flux and uncertainty for quite some time. Whilst this might suit some people, don’t underestimate the stress it can place on you. I was happy with our decision but still had many sleepless nights and some other physical stress symptoms. But remember your homelessness is not forever!
- You won’t know anyone when you move – even if you just move suburbs, things will be different. You will probably need a new doctor, hairdresser, etc. If that stresses you out then join a group who can help. For example, I joined a FB group for my new town and people share all the time about the tradespeople etc around town. This is helpful to find your way through the maze of ‘everythingnewness’!
But enough of the cons, onto the pros…..
- Being in a new situation allows you to meet people, share your story and get to know others really easily. I recently wrote and shared another post on making friends. You should take a look.
- Being new allows you to say goodbye to any ‘people baggage’ you might have and start again. Try it, it is liberating.
- Being in a new house also allows to get creative and start again with furniture. It is so much fun to furnish and decorate a new house.
- Being new also enables you to be courageous and join new groups, go on adventures and revisit things from your youth. For example, we have been to the beach at least 5 times this summer. We hadn’t been to the beach in Sydney for years!!!! We have even had people over to dinner on a few occasions. Another thing that we had not done for years.
- If you move out of a big city like we did then you will notice that life does not have to move so fast. Living in a country town is relaxing. Just what we needed!
There are many more good things about what we have done with our lives. We are grateful every day for the changes. You can make changes in your life too if you need to. It will cause stress but with a little bit of courage you can make some positive changes too.
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Until next time,
Gillian (and Andrew)
