I use the words “homeless” and “unemployed” loosely because I realize that there are REAL issues in our world with the truly “homeless” and “unemployed,” but I wanted to share (in my small world) what life feels like for my hubby and me right now at the age of 50.
Friends can’t believe what we’ve done, and sometimes, we can’t believe it ourselves.
But we are truly ‘living our dreams’ and have taken the risk to get here.
Let me explain…
THE PAST
My husband and I have always talked about moving to Florida when we “retire.” One of our daughters, son-in-law, and three grandbabies were living nearby, so we planned to wait until the grandkids were old enough to not want us around all the time. That time came sooner than we anticipated. They grow up way too fast.
At the same time, it was becoming clear that my hubby would need to leave his job and do something else. (Long story there.)
I, as you all know, I work from home, so I could do that anywhere (the reason I love what I do so much).
One day during our annual vacation to Florida, while sitting on the beach, my husband looked at me and said, “I’m ready.” I wasn’t sure what he was ready for until he explained that he was ready to move to Florida NOW. He and his brother (who was down there with us, and also ready to start something new) decided they would start a business together.
As I’m ALWAYS ready for an adventure, I said: “let’s do it!”
And, we did!
We went back home, put our house up for sale (the one we just built, which I wouldn’t recommend doing). Thankfully, though, it sold, and my husband promptly turned in his notice at work.
THE PRESENT
That was in May. As of today, I sit in Sarasota, Florida as a new Floridian – Semi-Retired.
At 50, we aren’t really “retiring” exactly, but we call it “semi-retiring”. We want to work for as long as we can but we want to work HOW we want to work and WHEN we want to work. So, for us, we call that “semi-retiring.”
My husband and his brother are busy working on their new business adventure.
But while they do, we still
- have not found a rental home yet.
- have not received the “official” notification from the state that their business ‘LLC’ has been accepted.
- are living with family members (and 3 dogs!)
So, at 50, we are homeless and unemployed. As a side note – unemployed only means that someone else does not employ us. We own our own income and work. Scary – but exhilarating at the same time!
TODAY
As I write this today, I have found my way to a coffee shop to write. I could write from our family’s house, but it can be chaotic at times. And, since I need to get to know my surroundings, I decided to venture out somewhere to write.
It’s beautiful weather here. Sunny skies and hot and humid. Just the way I like it.
I’m listening to baristas chat and customers rush through their day.
I love it here!
I’m learning to adjust to not seeing my grandbabies (except through facetime) which is the hardest part. Literally, I have cried more than once about it. But, I know we are where we are supposed to be. Every door opened for us!
My husband seems more relaxed than I’ve seen him in years.
I feel more alive than I’ve felt in years. Not just because of the weather, but more because we are doing what we always dreamed we’d be doing.
We are giving it a go.
We are 50 – not 21 – but we are certainly not done reaching for our dreams, living new exciting adventures, or stepping into the unknown.
We are doing it!
We still don’t know where we’ll be living next month. We can always stay with family, but I’d love to have a place I could call my own.
I don’t know what my husband’s business will look like with his brother – but I know it will be exciting.
We have no clue about how our day-to-day will change and what it will look like.
But…
We are doing it!
THE FUTURE
I am excited to see what the future holds.
I wake up in the morning and realize that I’m still learning – still growing.
That makes me feel wonderful.
So, yep, we’ve moved.
We are homeless.
And we are unemployed.
And…
We have never been happier!
Conclusion:
Have you dreamed of doing the same thing we did? I won’t pretend to know the ways that would work for you and your family.
There are a million different paths you can take to accomplish YOUR dreams.
But, I do know this … if you want to be ready to move whenever you feel like it, and still have an income and work, you can work like I do.
You can work as a Virtual Assistant and take your job wherever your dreams will take you. You can find out the wrong and right ways to plan for your next phase in life in one of my previous posts..
You can do this!
I promise you the steps are easier than you think.
So long for now…
From sunny Florida! 🙂