Life Transitions & Tough Chapters

How do I handle major life changes and difficult situations in retirement?”

Life doesn't always go as planned. 

  • Retirement, like the rest of your life, isn’t predictable.

  • Major life changes happen in the blink of an eye. You made plans for retirement and something changes. 

  • Some moments shift everything overnight.

    • Retirement itself is one of the biggest life changes you’ll ever experience. But beyond that, other major events can reshape your life in ways you may not expect.

    Loss and relationship changes

    Death

    Death... while I've not yet lost my spouse, I did lose my mom in 2024. Once again, just like after I retired, I was LOST. This death wasn't my husband of many years, it was mom (honestly, I was her companion/caregiver) for her last 15 years, from her mid-80s to age 97 at death. 

     Death of a spouse is mind-boggling as you'd imagine. Hopefully you have your assets organized as your grieving mind can't do much more!

    Divorce

    Silver Divorces... what the heck? I really don't understand this one. Isn't there something there worth saving after years of marriage?

    Marriage

    Now that we've included death and divorce, we need to add marriage.

    You may remarry after divorce or death, or you might marry for the first time!  Retirement is simply another phase of life -- so what should you consider before marriage is another big life transition?

    Caregiving and responsibility

    I shared my own Caregiving Journey here.

    Changes in independence

    Then Disability enters life, just as you are strolling through your employment and BAM! 

    Disability resources here.

    Adjusting to change

    As you know, life changes around us at any age, we must continue to adapt to life. 


  • Emotional impact → Emotional Reality
  • Daily adjustments → Living Day to Day


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