Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Retirement

After much agonizing, my husband of 26 years has decided to retire. I am alternately happy for him and terrified at the same time.

The nuclear plant where he has worked since before we married has afforded us a nice, secure living. By living a fairly simple lifestyle, saving for a rainy day, and giving back to church and charity, we have done well. Our house is small, but paid for. We have tried to make improvements that will last our lifetime and keep it fairly maintenance free.

But, this job is for younger men than my husband. The physical demands of working 12 hour rotating shifts is getting more difficult with each year. His job is physical enough to remind him that he is not 30 anymore. And the stress of being in the nuclear industry is crushing in and of itself. There is no room for error in this field!

Barring a catastrophe, we should be fine until we can tap the 401K. We will need to tighten our belts some. Even if he needs to work, he will not have to do anything nearly as stressful or demanding as his current job. We joke about getting him a job as a greeter at Wal-Mart.

We are going to have to set some ground rules. I am not cooking 3 meals a day. And he is going to have to let me have my afternoon nap! We are NOT watching the History Channel and Andy Griffith 24/7.

It is going to be an adjustment. Stay tuned.

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