In 2022, my focus was all about learning to live in Florida full-time. I called my blog Retirement Transitions, and this was a really big transition for our retirement. We have been living in Florida full-time for 19 months and I do feel like we have settled in well.
I am coming to terms with a number of realities. 1) I really do not like to travel although I feel like I should as everybody seems to do it in retirement. I do feel a sense of missing out when I hear about other’s trips. 2) I’m not a water-baby although I live on the water and I feel like I should be kayaking and SUP-ing on a regular basis. 3) I have a solid group of new acquaintances becoming friends and I should probably stop looking at Ladies Meet-ups. The meet-ups I attended were OK but most did not lead to new friendships. Yes, also a lot of should-ing awareness going on here!
In 2022, I had a 22 for 22 List that focused on daily living activities that aligned to my Retirement Lifestyle Vision Statement and also to my Positive Psychology Practices. (link here)
Active Body, Connected Heart, Creative Spirit, and Contemplative Mind
I do enjoy tracking things, not as much for achievement of the numerical goal but to look back and reminisce on the fun things I’ve done. My New Experience goal for 2022 was 101, and I hit 117. That’s a wow and yes, many were new Florida experiences, including: looking for shark teeth at Venice Beach, a great Everglades visit (lots of alligators and 2 new-to-me bird spots), going to Weekie Watchie, winter manatee viewing, volunteering at a summer kids camp, doing an Escape Room, taking the Cross Bay Ferry, doing a bioluminescent kayaking evening, seeing the Rowdies play, lots of new restaurants, and being an elf for the town holiday party. We also experienced our first hurricane evacuation and I learned about the local assisted living facilities. Since I am repeating doing many things that I enjoy (beach yoga, cardio drumming, beach walk & talks, arts & craft shows, local theater attendance, shuffleboard evenings, solo shelling walks, museum visits), I’m thrilled I still found so many new things to experience, many as part of my planning Fun Tribe activities. Next year my Invest in Experience positivity practice will include more “Tourist in Own Town” ideas and foodie dinners.
My New Recipes took a big hit as I got out of the mode of exploring new ways to cook. This was a surprise looking back since we have an induction stove I still need to fully figure out. My actual 14 new recipes tried was far short of my reduced-for-2022 goal of 24. However, the banana bread made from our own banana tree fruit was pretty good and I have 2 of those new recipes now in regular rotation.
My Books Read goal of 52 was hit. That number does not include some comfort books re-read and a complete re-read of the JD Robb “In Death” series. I find comfort in re-reading certain books were I love the characters and know they will have a happy ending – I have 15-20 of these on my shelf and they will come out when I need a “glimmer”. (See post about glimmers here). My book clubs push me to read newer books and different genres, which many of the 52 fit. And then there was my summer reading program, which I fully enjoyed (see my summaries of that here, here and here).
The big missed items on the 2022 list were: Plan & execute a trip for 30th Anniversary, Ebay selling of stuff (did get things listed but nothing is selling!), and figuring out how to get hubby to do his long list of items (Glue sandals, Fix shorts, Reduce clothing racks, Organize office & garage).
Activities that will continue into 2023 include Cardio Drumming (since last summer), local Zumba class (began in fall), weekly beach yoga, morning journaling, crosswords (not daily anymore, but still regular), monthly full moon/ low tide shelling (often solo), and blogging. I will continue to be intentional in connecting with far-away friends, planning local Fun Tribe activities, and engaging with my Garden Clubs. I had a big increase in crafting this past year – making centerpiece bottles for a local wine festival, doing craft workshops at my Garden Clubs, looking at thrift stores for materials (up-cycling glass) and just having fun with corks, beads, and glass – and expect that will also continue into 2023.
I’m not doing a WOTY (Word of the Year), nor a “23 for 23” List. While these tools worked well for me in past years, this year I will focus instead on continuing to do activities that align to my Retirement Lifestyle Vision Statement and my Positive Psychology Practices, using a seasonal Possibilities List to spur my planning. And yes, I will continue to keep track (list) of new experiences, books read, and new recipes tried, and continue to shift my mindset from the need to hit a numerical goal to the joy of having the lists to reminisce.
Do you do your own year-end review? Have you changed approaches to your yearly planning as you’ve moved further into retirement?
Picture Credit: me – a Christmas Sunrise
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Hi Pat, I read your blog and enjoy it but have never commented. However, I have a rather weird question. You mention you have a new induction range and like it. I am shopping for one and am both confused and overwhelmed by the choices. Do you mind sharing which range you have and if you have any problem with it. Also, what made you choose this manufacturer? I hope this isn’t too personal.
Thanks and keep us all heading in the right direction!
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Hi Ruth, we got a GE. It’s a full stove unit (not just the cook top) and choose it because 1) it fit our space – we were not changing kitchen footprint, and 2) good manufacturer and not crazy expensive! 3) it was coming in stock – many other brands were backordered for months (like 12 months!) I’m still learning to use it, especially on simmer. I love how fast it “heats up” things and shuts off completely. I loved my gas stove (last 2 houses), hated the electric stove (slow to heat and slower to cool) we had in our new house. Moving to gas was too complicated (and now with the latest news on gas?!) so induction felt like a nice compromise. Of course, yes I had to get all new pots and pans.
I’m not thrilled that the pot needs to “fit” the burner to work – a friend got a much more expensive one that has a complete cooktop induction – put the pot anywhere. Way too costly for me, but I can see the positives for it.
Everything is electronic on it…so that was a definite learning curve!
Couple of things I looked for – I wanted controls in the front and good ventilation.
Good luck with your learning curve with it (if you decide to buy one.)
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Thanks for the advice. GE is one of the top 3 we had narrowed it down to so the thumbs up definitely is helpful. Good luck to you too as you explore the new cooking style. I know you love to learn! Thanks again. Ruth
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I feel like I’ve become less goal focused the last year or so. I think it’s because this added parental responsibility has forced me to spend time on other things. I still have ideas and rough plans but nothing too concrete. Maybe that will change with time but I’m ok with it for now. Go with the flow has become my mantra or else I stress myself out.
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What a great recap Pat, you sound like you’ve settled in well. Your range of activities sound interesting and fun particularly the cardio drumming! I get the travel thing, especially these days, my dilemma is having a daughter and her family across the world so travel is a necessity if we’re to see them regularly. I admit to liking the adventure side of travel and leaving my comfort zone every now and again, even if it’s just to another state of Aus. My WOTY for 2023 is ‘explore’ so I’ll be looking at ways of exploring, maybe places, maybe ideas, books, food etc, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that plays out. All the best for 2023!
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There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to travel. Much better to be making new friends like you are. Yep, I’ve done my own Year in Review, at Sightings Over Sixty.
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Tom, Thanks for the link to your end of year review. I do follow you but for some reason do not get notification of your posts…. will need to try and figure out why!
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It’s nice to hear from others who aren’t big into travel. Sometimes you do feel like the odd man out. We were fortunate to live and travel in a wide variety of locations domestically and abroad — and now we’re pretty much homebodies. Occasional travel is OK for us, but it’s not our big driver.
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Hi Pat, you obviously know yourself well and have no qualms about admitting when something isn’t right for you. Being open to new experiences is more important than falling in love with everything. You’ve got that one figured out, hands down. Wishing you all good things for 2023.
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Suzanne, Mindset shifts take time. Letting go of what I think are expectations (shoulds) takes time. Even when I know it’s not right for me, there’s still a twinge of Compare & Despair. It’s nice to hear someone thinks I’ve got things figured out! Happy New Year to you. (Oh, and my sweaters are already put back away…. our week of winter is done! )
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What a wonderful year you have had! Of course, you settled in and found friends, you are great at that! I still miss you and your planning!!! You are a brilliant, active woman and regardless whether travel is in the forefront or not you will do wonderful things.
I, too, am less interested in traveling, especially abroad. Which feels shocking to myself but as many replied the flights are so long, so expensive and so tedious. It used to be fun to fly and I felt a little special but now I feel like less than the cargo they ship – no one cares, they don’t even feel a need to be nice and you’re cramped in like sardines. You know me, I like “dressy” and “in the old days” people dressed nicely to fly but now people mostly fly in their pajamas! So, even though there are still places I want to go like the Amalfi Coast and Australia/New Zealand, I’m not all hyped up about like I used to be.
I do think Covid played a role in some of that as well. I got comfortable at home.
Speaking of home, that is one of the things that I felt I got pretty well accomplished last year. Not the pool! Who knows when that’s coming but the inside. I’m finished with what I intended on doing and I have found a love for my house.
I got back to my working out and have stuck with it, albeit, the body hasn’t gotten any better. This year I intend on upping the ante by adding Lagree (a very hard Pilates with reformer) workout. I’ve already started and hope to keep a pretty rigorous schedule!
No word of the year for me – I don’t really stick with them. But I’m working on a few things such as the journaling, reading and maybe even upping the dance (upping the dance is sooooo expensive!). I’ll let you know when I develop a “working outline” for the year!
I miss you!
Happy New Year!
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Candyse, I am so happy you’re in love with your house now! It’s a fabulous space. I’m hoping we’ll see it in 2023…. tentative plans for an early summer visit (graduation party for my quasi-niece). I’m thinking travel will not pick up for us as we will have my mom living locally and I’m back to being a primary caregiver – another reason beyond the long, expensive, tedious, unpleasant. But it’s not really a bad thing… I’ve never had my mom living close to me, so that will be nice. Of course, she’s dealing with dementia, so not sure how long she will know me.
It’s great you’ve also found another workout to try. I just found out my cardio drumming class, through some bad management, might be dropping the class times I go to. Yeah, another life transition might be in the works… actually joining a fitness center. There’s one across the street from my mom’s new place and I’m planning to stop in there next few weeks to see what classes they offer.
Life is a series of transitions!
Hope we can talk soon. Happy New Year!
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Hi Pat, thank you for saying out loud what I’ve been thinking… I’m really not as excited about traveling as I used to be. I’m sure there are ‘age-related’ reasons for it but the whole experience of traveling (airports, bad beds, the state of the world in general, etc) has started to outweigh all the fun stuff for me.
I haven’t chosen a WOTY at the moment but I may…still thinking about it. Last year’s word EMBRACE was all about being open to the changes in my life (retiring & losing my fur baby) and it served me well for most of the year.
I’m going to be spending the next few days making a Winter Possibilities list to last me through March. Thank you for all your thought provoking posts in 2022 and I look forward to many more in 2023.
Happy New Year!!
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Sharon – It’s been fascinating to see how many folks are more travel averse at the moment! Sometimes it’s so nice to know you’re not alone. I love the word EMBRACE! Not going to pick one as I think my Seasonal Possibilities Lists are right approach for me this year… but that word would have been on my short list! Embracing the now, where I am. Happy New Year to you!
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Having done a lot of traveling over the years, I do find doing so much less – I’m quite happy hanging out at home, going for country walks, or enjoying other local activities (health club for example).
I will still do a big trip every few years (most likely to Philippines), and there are company trips a couple of times a year (until I retire), and that seems like enough. Unless there’s a real desire, I don’t travel simply because I feel “I should”.
It sounds like you had a busy and fun-packed 2022, and Florida is a wonderful place to live based on my (limited) experience.
All the best for 2023!
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Letting go of the should expectation is hard for me. I did travel extensively when I was working, and in fact, never did like it! But there are some things I would like to experience, so maybe I’ll get on the every few years plan. But continuing to focus on enjoying where we are will be my focus in 2023.
Happy New Year to you!
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Interesting how there is an expectation that we “should” want to travel when we retire. Although I think it’s nice to leave your comfort zone once in a while, that could mean traveling a few towns away. Not everyone wants to travel to far away lands (thank goodness… can you imagine how more crowded everything would be?) and that’s okay. You seem to be enjoying your retirement to the fullest and that’s what matters.
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Janis, An old friend’s year-end summary was all about the no-plane trips they did – they’ve found a fav AirBnB a few hours away, head to cabins in the mountains, or lavish hotels in cities not too far away. No planes, but still planning. Maybe that’s my next way to think about things… or maybe just try some day trips to state parks! Both of those would be out of my current comfort zone. Happy New Year to you!
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I too had to stop expecting myself to enjoy traveling. I don’t. While I enjoyed a trip to Spain the difficulties of flying through Paris and almost missing our plane back to the US is mainly what I remember. There is no place that I want to see that is worth the hassle of traveling there.
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It’s a good point. The experience of traveling (especially flying) can be quite painful. These days tickets are a lot more expensive than pre-pandemic, and based on friends experiences, flights are more cramped, and the service even worse than it used to be. I have my first flight since 2020 coming up soon – I must admit I’m having some trepidation about it!
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It’s fascinating to see how many folks are feeling similar about travel…is it our age (not willing to put up with crap) or the fact travel has gotten worse (smaller spaces, less customer service). Or maybe a combination! I’m still working through the fact I have so many ‘places to go’ on my Possibilities List. Not sure how to let it all go!
Happy New Year to you!
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Hi Pat – that was a great look back at the year and you certainly achieved quite a lot. I smiled at you re-reading the “In Death” series – I also re-read it a year or so ago – I just love the main characters, and how she also develops all the lesser characters as the books go along. I’m also discovering that I’m not really a traveller – I feel like I’ve seen enough overseas to be content and until the world is a better place, I’m happy staying in my safe little corner down under. As far as WOTY goes, I chose one and discarded it at the last minute when a different concept settled into my thoughts. I’ll be sharing it on Monday – Happy New Year x
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Leanne – I knew you had re-read the series as well. It was super fun reading it all at once as I followed references back to earlier cases much easier.I’m actually into the book in the series that I had not read yet, so caught up! Might even have it finished today – so another 2022 “accomplishment”. It’s still 2022 here as I type this. Looking forward to hearing about your WOTY – your FB hints have me puzzled! Happy New Year.
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