Are you a runaway retiree moving away to be cheap?
We’ve all read about the most desirable retirement locales with great hospitals and low housing costs. When I see these lists, I see people accepting defeat and leaving behind all that they cherish to be forever banished to the low-rent district.
Read: The Grass is Greener – Find a Retirement Haven That Suits You
If one is ultimately going to go, in disgrace, to the not so close to the beach condo; it would seem more dignified to go forth on an adventure, than to slither away in defeat.
Read: Retirement Travel – Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
Rather than move to be cheap, move to fulfill your lifelong dreams. I can’t begin to list the items that may remain on your personal bucket list.
However, I do know that whatever is on your list is not the same as what is on the list of your current social circle.
Follow Your Dreams
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Go north, and meet people who followed a similar wild hair to the same destination.
Living in a land that exceeds your dreams will certainly change your perspective. You’ll become new people and as they say, you can never go home again.
With the old world a distant, somewhat boring memory and the future full of exciting newness, the runaway retiree can only go forward.
Find Your Place
Picture your hypothetical brother-in-law telling everyone else how to retire when it seems that he delivered packages for 35 years just so he could lead the same boring life until he dies.
When you run away, run far enough away to force new social interactions. When you find the place where you belong, there will be others with common interests, not just a common past.
In a short time, the old ways will seem strange and perhaps meaningless. How wonderful it will be to know that you’re not that brother-in-law.
Conclusion
For the boomer with balls, becoming a runaway retiree has immeasurable rewards.
Leaving that career and lifestyle behind won’t kill you, but working toward an unattainable and meaningless goal will.
Do it as soon as possible. Your health will improve. Your spouse will again become your partner. You’ll become an inspiration and a legend to your grandkids and possibly your kids. Most of all, you will know a satisfaction that the sheep will never know.