July of last year was the beginning of the planning to go on a ski holiday to Banff, AB. We exchanged our timeshare to the Banff Gate Mountain Lodge near Canmore, AB, and waited for the day to finally arrive. The Tuesday prior to our departure, my husband decided we should leave on Thursday night and drive part way to break up the trip. We would stop at a hotel in Medicine Hat, AB to sleep and get an early start on the day to finish our journey to the Rocky Mountains. On Wednesday, we found out my son, Jordan, had an 'A' hockey playoff game in a small town which was about 1/2 hour out of the way. We discussed whether or not he would attend, and decided we could make it work, even though it would delay our travels by over 2 hours. My husband also figured that since he had worked night shift the night before, he would be able to drive all the way at night while the rest of us slept. Although the hockey game did materialize, his driving all the way didn't. Instead, my daughter's fiance' drove for 5 hours with Jordan keeping him company, while the rest of us slept.
This is similar to our retirement from the work world. Sometimes the best of plans have to be modified and we need to be flexible to allow that to happen. Whether its a financial detour, a change in our life status (single to married or married to single), or the revising of what we will do with our time, flexibility is the key. Having a plan and working through the detours with the help of a coach allows you to have a successful retirement. In life, there will always be detours. We are the ones who need to choose which detours we take and which we don't.
I'd like to hear your thoughts or comments. Click on Comments below or email me at traceyfieber@sasktel.net
