Are you ready to retire? Not about the bucks; about the psychological impact

“Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else.” Mr. Rogers.

Thinking about your answers to the following questions can help bring your retirement vision to life:

1. What does the word "retirement" mean to you?

   The idea of a traditional retirement doesn't fit many of our ideal notions anymore of how we may want to spend our future. You may want to travel, volunteer or spend more time with your family. You could also be ready to spend more time enjoying a hobby or even start a new career. Is working part time or volunteering an option or desire for you? Having a plan of what will fulfill you during the next phase of life can help you start to envision what your days may look like.
    

2. How will leaving the workforce make you feel?

   You've probably worked most of your adult life. Making the switch can be a big adjustment. It's normal to be excited yet have some doubts. You don't have somewhere to go every day. Are you OK with that? Do you have other things you want to do? Money is only part of the picture. Make sure you've thought through how you actually feel about retiring.
    

3. What’s the first thing you want to do when you retire?

   Write down the first three, five or 10 things you want to do – and don’t expect to achieve them all in the first week. Remember, you’ll have plenty of years to fill with the things you want to do.
    

4. If you have a spouse or partner, is he or she on board?

   Does your spouse or partner want to retire when you do? If so, what's your health insurance situation? Is working part time or volunteering an option or desire for you? If you want to travel, does your partner? Talk to your partner about his or her ideas about retirement. If you have different visions, discuss them and find some common ground. By talking now, you can work together to make the best of retirement for both of you.
    

5. If you have children, how do they feel?

   Talk to your children about their – and your – expectations. For example, do they expect you to offer childcare or other favors after you are no longer working full time? If necessary, decide on ground rules and boundaries ahead of time. This can help prevent uncomfortable conversations down the road.

WHAT???? I can't hear you. Long range consequences of hearing loss.

Photo by John Moeses Bauan on Unsplash

Anyone who has an iPhone can amp up their hearing of TV, movies, in restaurants, in crowds, in any conversation—without hearing aids. Or with one hearing aid and one AirPod.

AirPods Pro are cooler looking and more universal; watch news shows, podcasts, everyone’s wearing them. They also work on phone calls, zoom calls, on walks, reading audiobooks. You can sleep to dreamy, calming music in them. You can opt to go silent and cancel outside noise, like your spouse playing loud music, or traffic noise. With the Live Listen feature you can put your phone in front of a sound system, or someone you’re straining to hear in a conversation it will act as a microphone; sound delivered directly to your ears. The new Conversation Boost feature in Transparency Mode gives you another option to try in different situations to optimize and customize your experience. Since they’re designed for sound quality, there’s no comparison to hearing aids, even the ones that can be synched to your phone. AirPods are better.

If you’re too vain to wear hearing aids—you know who you are—you can look more "normal" in an earbud or two.

I lost several years of a quality relationship with my mother because she denied her hearing loss and adapted all the cover-up habits. Don’t let that happen to your loved ones.

Visit Apple for details, or Youtube does a good job of explaining the AirPods Pro technique. Search "AirPods Pro as hearing aids," and you’ll see audiologist reviews and how-to’s. Contact me any time for questions. I am not a hearing professional nor am I a hearing aid expert, although I wore them for over ten years. I’ll answer or provide resources.

Good luck and good hearing.

Update: 06/15/22. I am wearing my new Jabra hearing aids recently purchased at Costco. Why? As good as Apple AirPods are, they are quirky. I would have to pull out my phone to turn functions back on after they mysteriously went off – – and that’s rude, right? The Jabra product charges overnight while I still sleep in my AirPods, listening to music, audiobooks, whatever. There’s a trade off. So many features in the hearing aids but without the sound quality of AirPods Pro.

Semi retirement (what’s the opposite of) woes

1) We fly rarely and when we do it’s to visit family. Cancelled flights are not an issue except for the houseguests and smelly fish problem if the delays lengthen to days. Enviable, I know. It’s nobody’s fault, people. Let’s stop blaming and enjoy being kind to each other. New York Times: A Nation on Hold Wants to Speak With a Manager. “It’s not just your imagination; behavior really is worse.” Take a deep breath.

2) Creativity exercise: Esté MacLeod #Coloricombo. Sign up free. Look for color combinations inspired by the London artist’s choices. Then, visit a local gallery with a new perspective.

3) Life hack: Pick up your iPhone, swipe left, instant camera access! Thank you, Apple.

4) Christmas gift success: This clock for my sister.